[cujo.]

round two mark

[Swishy & Broken]

[ Hello everyone!
I've been recruited to lend a paw in finishing this kit's story!!

Not to fret, I am hard at work hand crafting some new RU
friends and creating more folds to this story.

In the mean time, if you're still interested in trying out, round 2
has been extended until I string together another page for this journey..
I'll make sure to keep everyone updated as we craft this cat's mystery together!

[Swishy & Broken]

It's been a few days since you encountered the golden she-cat. After determining she won't be dangerous and asking for her name - it's Malaza - you've hesitantly allowed her to settle near your territory. There wasn't much more you were able to get out of her, though. When she'd seen the kit you had with her, she'd started hissing and refusing to talk further. So now, you're approaching her again, this time without the kit in tow.

You come closer to the bushes under which she's made her home with her kits, the scent of milk intensifying with every step. After you alert her of your presence, she crawls out, leaving the kits behind, in the safety of the bushes. She eyes you warily as you clear your throat.
"We need to talk about the kit."
"You should get rid of it", she answers, eyes narrowing. "Don't let it into your group. Where it goes, death follows."
You feel your heart beat in your throat. Despite her grim words you have to inquire further, though.
"Death follows? It's just a kit, barely able to talk."
She snarls and spits to the side.
"It broke my clan. Its mother, our leader, died giving birth to it. There were some who saw the kit as a bad omen and wanted to exile it. Some, a group I belonged to, in our infinite foolishness defended it. But when sickness struck, we knew that we had been wrong, and tasked our healer with sending it out into the wilds. If it had survived the storm on its own, it would have been cleansed of the curse, but I see now that Bearberry has been weak. She passed the kit and its curse down to you. I advise you to get rid of it while you still can."
You rear back, appaled.
"You are wrong."
Malaza laughs.
"Maybe. Maybe not. The plague and the uncertainty have destroyed my clan and I still blame that kit. Do with it what you wish, though, it's in your paws now."
You blink at her, but are unable to think of anything to say. Without any further words, you turn and head back. She has to be wrong. Has to be.
And yet, as your steps lead you further the way you came from, you can't help but wonder. What if she's not?
What should your next steps be? And what will become of the kit?

--
Your next prompt is: What do you do with this new information? How do you go forward?
You have until 08/05 @11:50pm cst to curate your answers !


Code: Select all

Username:
Cat name:
Gender:
Clan link:
Prompt Answer:

[miraphoenix]

Username: miraphoenix
Cat Name: Mistkit
Gender: Nonbinary [he/they]
Rank: tbd
Clan: Havenclan
Age: ~2-3 moons; slightly larger nugget
Prompt:

Part 1
Part 2

“…Plague?”

“That’s what she said,” Lichenstep affirmed, sitting alongside Hawkstar. When Malaza—the real name of the golden cat that had been aggressive towards the Starkits—had confronted her, she had immediately reported to Havenclan’s leader.

Hawkstar was silent for a long while, staring off into middle space.

“I think,” they said, getting to their feet with a languid stretch. “That I should talk to Cedarwhisker.”

With that, Hawkstar ambled off towards the Tree Speaker’s den, their tail twitching slowly in the dappled light. Lichenstep watched as they disappeared into the tree’s hollow, and wondered at her friend’s amazing blasé nature.

~~~

“If your concern is the plague, I would recommend you consult Willowmask, young Hawkstar.” Cedarwhisker’s voice was light, and her eyes carried a wry smile in the sparkling light that filtered through holes in Forest Heart’s bark. “For a curse, though…”

“That’s my main concern; if there really was a plague, wouldn’t we have seen something?” Hawkstar asked, their tail twitching through the shredded bark on the floor of the den. “Mistkit has been with us for at least a moon now, and aside from Surfpelt nearly choking on that fishbone, Willowmask hasn’t told me about any visitors coming to their den in urgency.”

“A fair observation, a fair one indeed,” Cedarwhisker mused, tilting her head as if listening to something inaudible.
“Hm. Bring the kit to me, when you get a moment? Let Willowmask to be on the look for any strange illnesses; we may as well be prepared, just in case."

Hawkstar nodded and stood so they could bow to the enigmatic Tree Speaker.
“Thank you, Cedarwhisker…! I’ll be by with Mistkit as soon as I can!” they replied with a relieved smile, turning to leave.

“Don’t forget abo—” Cedarwhisker started, before being interrupted by the hollow sound of Hawkstar’s head bonking against a protrusion of wood at the entrance to the den. “One of these days, Hawkstar, you really are going to put your eye out on that,” she admonished with a smile.

“I know… Maybe I’ll get Herringfern to file that down,” they answered with a grin, rubbing the spot between their ears.
With that, the Havenclan leader ducked and headed out to find Mistkit, and to alert Willowmask; having a plan always made them feel a bit better at the end of the day.

~~~

Cedarwhisker rested in the burrow with her eyes mostly closed, breathing in the thick, rich scent of the tree that surrounded her. She could hear the gentle hum, like the purring of a queen to their kits, could feel her own heartbeat changing its rhythm to the pattern of the life around her. In the deep, dusty dark, she expanded her concept of herself, stretching out through the roots of Forest’s Heart and out through the smallest of the great tree’s branches, seeking answers in the clouds and in the ground, in the vast net of life.

Soft pawsteps brushed the root network, pulses of electrical knowing.

Cedarwhisker’s eyes shot open, startling the cat in her burrow’s entrance.

“S-sorry, I thought you were asleep…!” Mallowfur apologized, her voice muted by the kit she had awkwardly pulled into the burrow.
Mistkit, for their part, just chirped, their purple eyes wide and curious.

“You have not disturbed me, Mallowfur. Thank you for bringing Mistkit here,” Cedarwhisker answered with a gentle smile, standing and padding forward to examine the strange young kit. Mallowfur, sensing that the burrow felt a little cramped, bowed and retreated back into the light of the clearing, her white tail vanishing out of the burrow as quickly as she had arrived.

Cedarwhisker watched her go, then sat down before Mistkit, watching the young foundling. He was batting around a piece of shredded cedar bark, flipping it between his paws. It was a gesture the Tree Speaker remembered her own kits performing early in their lives, and a flash of additional warmth flowed through her heart.

“If you are an avatar of plague, little one, you are the most adorable one I’ve ever seen.”

Mistkit just meowed in response, and chewed on the shredded cedar.

~~~

“So, Willowmask? What do you think about the accusations of plague?”

“Sst, keep your voice down,” Willowmask admonished, swatting Hawkstar on the shoulder with an open paw. “The last thing either of us need is a panic.”

“Point taken, point taken!” Hawkstar answered, rubbing their shoulder ruefully. “But, have you…?”
Willowmask wrinkled their nose, copper eyes narrowed.

“No, with the tools at my disposal,” they answered, and Hawkstar could tell the clan’s head healer was couching their words.
“Which means…?” they pried, trying to get information out.

“Which means that I can’t give you a guarantee,” came the reply, along with a faint grin from the healer. “I haven’t seen anything yet, but I can’t guarantee that we won’t.”

Hawkstar nodded, thinking about that as an answer.
For the past several days, Cedarwhisker had been keeping a watchful eye over young Mistkit, watching for any sign of a curse. Meanwhile, they had placed Willowmask on the alert for any signs of mysterious illness, a task that Willowmask had taken up enthusiastically. So far, neither healer nor Tree Speaker had found anything untoward, and now the question remained; was Malaza telling the truth?

“I suppose only time will tell, then” they finally answered, bowing deeply to the clan healer.

“That we shall, that we shall…”

[903 words]

[lovage]

Username: lovage
Cat Name: x
Gender: tom
Rank: kit
Clan: fogclan
Age: four moons
Prompt:
though the golden she-cat, named Malaza, promised to tell her and her groupmate’s story, something felt off to cloversong. the way the she-cat moved, all twitchy and never once made eye contact with any council member but kept looking about, and the way her and her groupmate didn’t have any connection to their stories: changing up events or just not agreeing on something. however, cloversong listened to them tell their tale with anxious breath, hoping that they could be this kit’s groupmates regardless of the signs. then, her hopes all started to fall apart just like the two she-cats’ stories.

once the two she-cats were talked to separately, cloversong listened on to the many points that didn’t match between them. her hopes were dashed quite quickly after the two differing and contradicting stories. and, the cherry on top was malaza’s actions towards the kit weren’t even convincing. she attempted to groom the kit yet couldn’t help but keeping glaring at it even with the mask of kindness. so, the council decided not to give them the kit. the golden she-cat looked almost spiteful as both she-cats left the camp, thinking that would be the last of them.

however, word got to the council that malaza took up camp just in the opposite side of the river. so, rainingecho and foxcall were sent to greet the golden cat, so cloversong was left anxiously waiting at camp. then, the duo came back in a somber manner, gazes down and heads close together in a quiet discussion. “what happened?” cloversong quickly and quietly asked when the two got close.

“a sickness, that’s what happened,” rainingecho hissed. her pelt was bristled as she passed by cloversong. “that kit is bad news, cloversong. we need to talk now before it’s too late.”

“what?” cloversong quietly exclaimed. she padded besides the two as races towards the council’s den. cats murmured around them as the three, all eyes were on them. “no way, that a kit is a sickness. you’re a healer, rainingecho, don’t you know what could have actually happened?”

“she didn’t give me symptoms, but the way she phrased it, this sickness was something worse than white cough,” rainingecho said. she went ahead of the two others, and it left cloversong to get a clear view of foxcall, an angry expression and eyes glimmering with rage. from that one look, it was clear that foxcall blamed cloversong for what the kit they brought into the clan.

cloversong entered behind foxcall into the stony den. rainingecho went to gather the rest of the council, and the final two entered behind rainingecho, both just as confused as the other. “so, foxcall, do you want to explain what happened with malaza?” whitethroat asked as she sat down upon their nest.

“malaza told us about the kit’s past. the leader, who was the mother of kit, ended up dying while giving birth to said kit. from there, she continued to say how her clan was torn by it and then how the kit plagued her clan with a sickness,” foxcall informed them. “she warned us to not let it join fogclan and that we’re pretty much next to whatever this sickness was. oh, and funny part was that the grey she-cat that pretty much gave us the kit was their healer bearberry. bearberry was tasked with leaving the kit out in the forest somewhere to ‘weather out the storm.’ . . what ever that’s supposed to mean?”

“i don’t know, but it didn’t sound good. it sounded like it may have be worse than white cough, if they felt they needed to send the kit out into the forest like that in order to get rid of it,” rainingecho added. cloversong looked at the older council member, and it was clear that she was concerned for what could come in the near future. “malaza’s clan was pretty desperate, if they felt that was the only way to cure their plague.”

“this is insane. why should we trust her?” cloversong argued.

“because, cloversong, she’s the only one that had any experience with the kit in the past,” goldencry said. “it’s for the good of the clan that we’re talking about, not where we should send the next patrols.”

“what if she was lying?” cloversong argued. she didn’t believe a word that cat said, especially after how she acted towards the kit. cloversong wasn’t going to let them take the kit and abandon it somewhere to fend for itself, so she had to argue to save it.

“i doubt she was,” rainingecho retorted. “she seemed to be angry at the kit, spiteful even. there’s no reason for any cat to be that angry at a kit.”

“or, she’s spiteful that we didn’t let her take the kit and leave,” cloversong responded. she felt her pelt bristle.

“you aren’t thinking clearly about this, cloversong. the kit’s curse of a plague could very well happen, and it’s better to listen to her then take a big risk,” rainingecho hissed. “even though flamingdusk, ambergaze, and i are all trained healers, the possibility of something being worse than white cough is a scary future, cloversong.”

“why?” cloversong asked. her tone was harsh and rude as she questioned rainingecho.

“rainingecho is a senior healer, cloversong,” goldencry said, jumping to help cut the tension between the two she-cats. “if she is scared of this possibility, then it is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. from what i’ve been hearing, it’s either some guilt or a horrible plague. we can put the kit across the river-“

“no, that’s against the warrior code. we just can’t abandon that kit,” cloversong snarled. the tension was growing quickly between the three of them. cloversong could see foxcall and whitethroat anxiously glancing at each other and the group, maybe one of them would intervene.

“we should just put the clan first, cloversong.”

“stop it!” whitethroat finally interjected. the three arguing cats looked at them. “we need time to calm down, right?”

murmurs of agreement rippled the small den.

“good, we’ll keep this on the low for now within the clan. the kit can be dealt within a few days. rainingecho, can you alert flamingdusk and ambergaze just in case?”

“of course, whitethroat,” rainingecho mewed. from the look on her face, cloversong felt like the tortie was finally pleased with something going her way. “they should be alerted in order to prepare and stock up on herbs, just in case.”

the council walked out of the den, off to perform their duties. cloversong jumped up onto the boulders making up the council’s den and laid there. she didn’t want for them to leave the kit out in the middle of the forest, but so far, she was in the minority. rainingecho and goldencry were certainly against her, but maybe, she could convince foxcall and whitethroat to join her.

but, one thing was for certain malaza’s warning has already caused a division in the council, and cloversong hoped that it would spread further. and, she certainly hoped everything that malaza had said was just some lies to get back at fogclan for not giving her the kit.

[Swishy & Broken]

An extension of a week has been requested, new end date is 08/05 !

[coffee.berry]

Username: coffee.berry
Cat name: Glasskit
Gender: Male
Clan link: Peaceclan
Prompt Answer:

As Malaza wandered off, and left Silverstar alone in the dust, thinking of Glasskit.

"What if she's right..." Silverstar sighed, walking back to the dens. "What if we all get cursed by Glasskit?"
And Glasskit, hearing his own name, sprinted from the nursery to Silverstar, and started hopping around, his purple eyes huge with happiness. "Mew?"

Silverstar couldn't help but smile at the little guy. "Hey," she said softly. "Who'd you get your eyes from?"

The kit giggled as Silverstar licked his forehead. He then ran back to the nursery, and looked behind him once to see if Silverstar was still there. Just then, Saltwater came out of the Dream Healer den.

"Silverstar," Saltwater padded over to the commander, "I just got a message from Twinkleclan. We need to go to the Cave Of Secrets - now."

As the two cats got closer to the Cave Of Secrets, Silverstar stopped for a while.
"Why do we have to go?" Silverstar asked. "Is it because of Glasskit?"

"No idea," Saltwater pulled Silverstar along, "But it's important. That's all Twinkleclan said."

They got to the entrance of the cave, and slowly got inside. The sleeping dragon was someone you did not want to wake accidentally.

"O Holy Drakon, please let us pass your ancient entrance!" Silverstar said loudly enough for the Drakon to hear.

"Hello, Silverstar and Saltwater," a booming voice shook the cave. "Have thou come to see me, the great Typhon?"

"Yes," as Saltwater said that, the huge Drakon came into sight. "We need to see the Crystals."

"Thou need to see the crystals?" Typhon laughed. "So be it. Your access to the Place is granted."

The cats sauntered into the Place, and immediately their eyes were filled with brightness from the Crystals - jewels glowing in all colours possible, creating a stunning light show before the cats' eyes.

"Come on, there's no time to waste!" Saltwater exclaimed to Silverstar. "Typhon only lets us in here for a limited amount of time."

Just as the Dream Healer and Commander's heads touched the crystals, they fell asleep.

"Welcome to Twinkleclan, cats!" Marigoldstar, the clan's previous leader, appeared. "We have called you for a reason. And that reason is because of a cat, Glasskit."

"Glasskit is a magical kit, who came from a faraway clan, along with some of his clanmates." Marigoldstar continued. "Those clanmates... they weren't real. I mean, they were, but they weren't in the same clan with Glasskit. They're cats who want to steal him."

"They've told you of fake curses, lies and more," Marigoldstar said, referring to Malaza, the golden she-cat. "They've all left you alone, in the dust, haven't they? That is because their time was up. Those cats - they want to steal Glasskit because of the power he posseses; luck."

"At the start of his life, he couldn't control his powers - so, he got bad luck instead of good luck, leading to his mother's death, as Malaza told you." Marigoldstar took a deep breath before continuing. "When the overly furry cat came with the kit, you thought it was the kits' mother - but it wasn't. Like Malaza, the cat was a beast. The beast somehow managed to get the kits' bad luck to stop, while the cat got to rest a bit."

"A while later, the kit's luck returned, and the beast had to leave so it wouldn't dissolve into nothing," Marigoldstar explained. "Malaza, the cat-beast hybrid, came a while later, and she tried to scare you into giving her the kit - didn't she?"

"But, she also had to leave because of Glasskit. Glasskit was beginning to see who she really was, and as he can control his powers now and make beasts dissolve, Malaza had to leave, too." Marigoldstar said, moving her tail around while speaking. "And Glasskit may have some speaking problems in the future - pronouncing things incorrectly, not knowing an easy word - but that won't stop him from his powers. Glasskit loves his new clan, so there's no way his bad luck can affect you - only his good luck. But be careful with the beasts.. you never know what they might do."

Silverstar and Saltwater nodded, and they immediately appeared in the Place, close to the Crystals.
They walked out, near the cave entrance.

"Thy time is nearly up, cats." Typhon said, appearing at the entrance. "Have you seen enough?"

"Yes, we have, Typhon." Silverstar bowed, and Saltwater copied. "Thank you for letting us pass. We must go, now. See you another time!"

The cats walked out of the Cave Of Secrets, whispering amongst eachother.

"Glasskit isn't cursed!" Saltwater said. "He has the power of luck!"

The two cats got back to Peaceclan, and Glasskit was there to greet them.

He hopped around them, smiling like he knew something they didn't.

"What's up, Glasskit?" Silverstar giggled. "Do you want to tell us something?"

"Happy!" Glasskit meowed.

"What did you say? Saltwater asked. "You said.. happy? You're happy?"

Glasskit nodded. "Happy!"

SIlverstar glanced at Saltwater, unspoken words passing between them.
Glasskit knew how to speak. He had said his very first word.

Silverstar almost started crying, but she didn't.
"Glasskit?" Silverstar questioned. "Do you know any other words?"

Glasskit tilted his head. He didn't understand.
Saltwater sighed. "At least he's happy.. that's all that matters, right?"

"Right!" Silverstar smiled at Saltwater and Glasskit. "That's all that matters - the beasts are gone, for now, and Glasskit is safe."

"Happy!" Glasskit mewed, for the third time that day.

[910 words]

[ԏєѧѻӆғוѓԑ]

Username: ԏєѧѻӆғוѓԑ
Cat Name: ciel
Gender: male
Rank: tbd
Clan: moonlight sanctuary
Age: 1 year (at the end of this not now aksjhfdjks)
Prompt:

Wispstalk was curled up in his den, watching Ciel play with his own kittens. He and his partners had successfully had multiple, and he knows that his apprentice and his partner recently had a litter as well. There had been nothing but bountiful prey and healthy births in the clan since Ciel had been taken in - he didn't believe a word about this plague.

And yet...

There was a nagging feeling that made him worry. The thought of harm coming to his kits was unbearable. And despite there being no signs in the world that Ciel was truly cursed... he couldn't stop the voice in the back of his mind that whispered that his kits were in danger.

The weather had been strange, lately. The wisps and spirits didn't seem to mind, and the birds didn't speak of any anger from their god. If Wisp was reasonable, he'd chalk it up to an odd few days in the weather. He'd realize that he'd spent a long time in his den and that it must have thrown off his senses of what the woods should look like at this time of year.

He set his head down on his front paws and sighed, watching the tiny kittens stumble around the bigger one. Ciel was only ever gentle with them. He would never do anything to hurt them.

Wisp wouldn't hurt the kit, either. He wasn't going to turn it away, vague threats or no vague threats. But if his kits seemed even a little bit sick, he knew he'd keep Ciel away from them immediately, and he hated the idea of blaming this kit for it but he was scared. He hated that Malaza's words were getting to him at all.

[292 words - i haven't had the spoons to make this one as long as the others 😔] [link to last prompt]

[aglassman]

Username: Aglassman
Cat name: Dog
Gender: ?
Clan link: Shattered StoneClan
Prompt Answer:

A quiet interlude. An omen.

The older cats' heads were together, urgently speaking in hushed whispers, but whispers reflected and magnified in the bowl of the stream's eroded path. Perched with pawtips dipping into the trickling water, Dog's ears twitched as their harried speech echoed off of the rippling water, but the kitten's violet eyes watched somebody else.

Above them on the ridge stood a lone figure, the starless night sky silhouetted around her, a bright hole in the dark expanse. A milky white cat gazed mournfully into the hollow, her reflection spreading in the water like spilled moonlight. There was a sadness about her that Dog didn't understand. The pale queen had followed them here, glimmering just outside of the peripheral, but here, at her brightest, the ghost seemed unwilling--or unable--to step down into the streambed. She shook her head and disappeared over the ridge again, tailed by a chilly gust that left the adults momentarily mute.
"What was that?"

[nio]

Username: nio
Cat Name: wish upon a star (wish)
Gender: nonbinary
Rank: kit
Clan: mesaclan
Age: -
Prompt: last prompt answer

The Clan had accepted the kit in as they would any other cat seeking refuge. They were fed, groomed, and played with. Cloudbelly has taken up the immediate care for the kit, sleeping with them tucked into her curled fur.

Wolfstar watched now, as the guardian thoroughly groomed the kit outside the nursery cave. There truely hadn't been any signs of injury or illness. The kitten seemed completely fine, as any other kit would be. Wolfstar thought back to the conversation with Malaza. How could this tiny scrap of fur be so dangerous?

Sure, the leader believed in curses, but to imagine something so small and innocent being capable of such plague... She couldn't wrap her tail around it. Malaza must have just been telling stories, to keep the kit away from her. Maybe she just didn't want the responsibility of looking after the thing.

Cloudbelly had finished grooming the kit now, and was carrying them back into the cave, as the sun rose. Wolfstar shook her head. The kit would stay. She could believe nothing about them before seeing proof before her very eyes.

She turned to the group of warriors ready for the dawn patrol, casting any further thoughts of the kit into the back of her mind.