[Archaeopteryx.]

The California condor is, along with the Andean condor, one of the largest birds in the world, with a wingspan of up 3 meters/9.8 feet and a length of up to 140cm/55 inches. (This kitty's companion is a juvenile, otherwise it would never fit onto the canvas! They can live for longer than 40 years.) Condors eat carrion, which is why their heads are bald, to keep their faces clean while they eat. They act as a sort of "clean-up crew" for the environment, taking care of scraps no other species will eat, keeping the environment clean and healthy and preventing the spread of diseases. Unfortunately, due to a variety of issues, both types of condors nearly became extinct, with the California condor dropping down to a mere 27 birds in 1987. Luckily, thanks to breeding efforts from zoos and sanctuaries, their numbers have increased to over 400!

Tell me about this kitty and this bird's relationship! How did they meet? Were there any communication issues? Unlimited, go wild.

Ends January 20th at rollover (20th to 21st)

Code: Select all

[b]Username:[/b]
[b]Cat Name:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Rank:[/b]
[b]Clan:[/b] (Please link)
[b]Age:[/b] (1 year or above)
[b]Prompt:[/b]

x
Name:
Gender:
Rank:
Clan:
Description: Black smoke ghost spotted tabby with low
white and age related graying
Age:
Edits: [nr] expression, missing ears, animal companion
[c] tooth, sclera color, pupil, short tail
[r] max fur
Owner:

[Fernathy]

Username: Fernathy
Cat Name: Thunderheart
Gender: she-cat
Rank: Elder
Clan: Storm's End
Age: 115 moons
Prompt:

Seeing it once, maybe twice was a coincidence. The third time marked a pattern.

She wasn't one to beg, but she asked the Stars so sweetly and consistently to send her a sign. Admittedly, she didn't know what sign to ask for. "Something identifiable" was all that she could summon to mind. After moons of asking with no reply, she spat out "at least a bird or something."

She was growing old, and she knew this. Though she wasn't afraid of it, like others might be. She welcomed her graying fur and aching joints with grace. It marked that she lived. Plus, she wasn't about to let that slow her down. And when her time would come, she would welcome it just as easily; she's served her clan well and has been the best she could be, so she felt as though she could die without any regrets.

But ---- has not yet come back.

It's been many moons since her mate's disappearance, yet she still stubbornly clings onto the hope that she's still out there somewhere. She's still out there she's sure of it, and she was still looking for Thunderheart too, she could feel it. But of course, she couldn't see it, and all she had was her blind hope to rely on. And Thunderheart was worried that she was running out of time.

It took a few days for the bird to show up, but the size and grandeur of the specimen caught Thunderheart off guard. She chuckled, thinking that the Stars must have a sense of humor to show her that thing after ignoring her prayers for so long. To make up for lost time, she mused.

wip lol

[Skiteralz]

mork

[KittyandCat]

Username: KittyandCat
Cat Name: Cinderthroat
Gender: (transmasc) tom
Rank: Elder
Clan: HollowClan
Age: 125 moons
Prompt:
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Foxtrot smirked, pleased when Cinderthroat turned his head to look at her. She sat at the entrance of the camp, on guard duty. “Hunting.” He said flatly. “An elder, out all by himself? I don’t think I can allow that!” She teased, and he turned his head back toward the forest as he began stalking off, pretending to be annoyed. “I only became an elder yesterday, Fox, my bones haven’t magically stopped working.”

- - -

Cinderthroat scraped dirt over his prey; two mice and a squirrel. He found himself gravitated towards the scorched forest, the part of the territory that forest fires had ravaged. No cat bothered to hunt there- it wasn’t only the undergrowth that had died when fire first struck. But nonetheless, he had a good feeling about it. He weaved through the trees, more and more of them leafless and burnt the farther in he went. His paws grew tired, his ears ringing from the crunch of leaves and ash under his paws. As much as he hated to admit it, he was getting old. His promotion to elder-ship hadn’t come too soon. It made him bitter, but he had always been a bitter cat- serious and some would say humorless, though those who truly knew him knew he had a soft spot for mischievous and rambunctious cats like Foxtrot. He realized with a start she wasn’t all that young herself- not nearly his age, but at least a senior warrior.

He would miss her when she grew old and tired. He tried to console himself she would always have her youthful spirit, and that there would be other cats to brighten his days, but he wasn’t quite sure. He was drawn out of his thoughts by the snapping of twigs somewhere nearby. He tensed, looking around, when a dead tree branch crashed to the ground in front of his paws. He looked up, and froze.

Flapping its wings, rather ungracefully trying to find somewhere in the leafless, dying tree to perch, was the largest bird Cinderthroat had ever seen. It must be some type of hawk, he figured, whose home had been destroyed in the fire. He slowly began to creep backwards- few cats could take down hawks on their own, and this bird was larger than any hawk he’d ever seen brought back to the fresh-kill pile. As he tried to slink away, he stepped on a leaf, and its crunch felt deafeningly loud in the silence.

Cinderthroat froze. So did the bird. It turned its head toward him, beady orange eyes meeting his. Then it swooped down.
It wasn’t a swoop, really, because that would imply it was smooth. It came down from the tree clumsily, but was no less frightening. Cinderthroat arched his back, and the bird, now on the leaf litter in front of him, spread its wings and backed up. It looked as afraid as him.

After what felt like an excruciatingly long time, Cinderthroat let his fur lie flat, but stayed with his back arched. The bird tipped its head and took a tentative step forward, almost questioningly. After another moment it came right up to him, nudging him here and there with its beak, exploring his pelt. It made a sort of squawk. It’s curiosity felt innocent and kit-like, and with a start Cinderthroat realized this bird, despite its massive size, was only a hatchling.

- - -

For the next moon, Cinderthroat went into the forest to visit the bird. Sometimes he would bring it prey. Sometimes, he would wrestle with it, playing games the same way a father would play with a kit. Slowly but surely its flight became stronger and its movements more fluid.

The moon after that, Cinderthroat brought the bird to camp. It caused quite the stir, which was silenced by one cat; Foxtrot.
At first her clanmates didn’t get it. But over time they saw this young bird was everything Cinderthroat needed. A playful, mischievous companion to keep him on his feet, to stop him from getting down about the fact he was now an elder. To keep him sharp.

Of course the bird never replaced Foxtrot. She would often eat meals with her old friend, would still tease him and give him a hard time about his age. But now it was only a part time job- thanks to Cinderthroat’s new friend, both of their lives had become more balanced and complete.

[Beezhivez]

Username: Beezhivez
Cat Name: Atropa
Gender: She-Cat
Rank: Elder
Clan: Wanderers of the Bay
Age: 17 years
Prompt:

Atropa’s life with Oare began when she was just a young cat, older than what a kit would be considered as, but too young to be trained under one of the many older cats of her colony. Within her colony were many birds; “The birds,” her mother would say, looking over at the silver-gray of her rock dove friend, “are the other half of our souls. They are the embodiment of our future, what we will look like once our bodies return to the earth to be blessed by the stars.” It made sense, as her mother— Dokhe— had the grey pelt as her Soul-Half’s feathers, his tendency to hoard, and both of them showed their family-oriented personality greatly to others.

When Atropa was born, the young she-cat was denied the ability to hear, her ears having been taken at birth. This wasn’t taken as a curse though, no, as one of the cats they followed dutifully, Aquila, had naught the ability to hear. Her lack of hearing only improved her ability to hunt, to observe, and track. She proved to be a great warrior from the start.

And this was only furthered by her Calling Ceremony.

At the age of 13 moons, cats proven to be worthy were given a ceremony to call to the stars with their colony for the first time and receive their Soul-Half, their avian companion for life. They were only given to those moving on to be warriors, guards, scouts, and other ranks for those mature.

When Atropa yowled her loudest with her friends and family, she wasn’t expecting for the moon to black out, to feel the vibration of those around her yelling in surprise and fright, and for a feathery weight to collapse into her.

The night was cool, a bit damp from the wet weather, especially the grass now on her back. She coughed lightly, having lost the air in her chest for a moment. Feathers were all in her face, ruffled and smelling damp and musky. The faint smell of carrion entered her nostrils and she shuddered as she moved the huge avian off of her, looking down at the bird.

It towered over her, tilting its head to look at her in the eye with a curious gaze. She swallowed thickly, unable to move from her spot as she stared into the dark eyes of this.. Bird. This..

..Condor.

The word clicked into her mind like a missing puzzle piece being found. The kind of bird this was, was a condor. She had never heard of the word, but it came so easily from her mouth that she didn’t realize she had said it at first.

A weight nudged at her side and she looked to see her mother— now graying at the snout and chest— say something to her. The older she-cat motioned with her paws in the signals they had worked out to be Atropa’s own ears, instead of hearing.

”What’s their name?” Right, the condor’s name, she’d have to give it— no, him, a name.

She hummed for a moment, thinking. The bird’s feathers and his eyes were as dark as the night around them, but he had seemingly come from the moon.

The moon.

That was it, the spirit that raised the moon, Oare, that would be his name. Oare.

The two have had their ups and downs, from the bird stealing her kill to accidentally ramming into him when he decided it was too tiring to fly. But overall, they work together well, as they were fated to stay together for their lifetimes.

[601]

[literal.swag.]

Username: literal.swag.
Cat Name: Amina (meaning “tiny spirit”)
Gender: female
Rank: huntress
Clan: amaryllis group
Age: 6 years
Prompt:Condor = valdis (meaning “spirit of war.”)

[ 872 words ]

This story begins many many moons ago. The hurriedness of the air was bitingly cold, and the heavenly glow of the moon was snuffed by heavy clouds. Shadows were hostile and so was the forest they had overrun. Within that forest lay carnivorous beasts and giants blessed with flight, and the usual guaranteed safety of those who travel during the day was nowhere to be found. Yet there within the pinprick branches of the bramble bushes abundant on the ground lay a kitten; cold, shivering, and terrified out of her right mind. This kitten was alone, vulnerable to the harshness of the elements and any other inhabitant of this forest in a particularly bad mood. Nights like these were what the horror stories told to the kitten, to ward her off from wandering too far, were based on. Yet here she is, alone, bone-achingly exhausted, and…charred?

The small paws of the kitten were bare, stripped shakily of their typical peach-fuzz coat. Exposed skin was burnt and raw, scorched in the pattern of lapping flames against flesh. The face and throat of the kitten followed close behind, raw and naked from any protection from the outside. Crimson speckled the raw skin as the kitten shivered, attempting to comfort herself and ignore the pain creeping into her body. She listened to the screeches of the winged beasts overhead in search of their next victim with bated breath. What felt like hours went by and the moon was beginning to sink towards the horizon when she heard the powerful beats of wings against the air hovering dangerously close above her bramble bush. The kitten didn’t think she had made any noise, nor did she think she was visible, but she also didn’t know how keen the predatory instincts the inhabitants were.

A large bird thumped to the ground beside the patch, talons terrifyingly long and digging effortlessly into the earth. The kitten froze immediately, holding her breath and willing her body to stop shaking so violently. As her breath began to run out, the bird began to take flight and the kitten let out a silent sigh, grateful for the new air rushing into her lungs. That was until she felt the talons of the bird wrap around her midsection. She cried in shock, her body going completely stiff. She thought she was a goner, talons piercing into her midriff and becoming food for the birds, that was until she realized she actually wasn’t in pain? She risked a look at her sides and realized there were no talons impaling her, in fact they were wrapped snugly around her entire body. Feeling brave, or simply still in a state of shock, she looked down. The sight of the safety of the earth being so far away took her breath and consciousness away.

When she came to, the kitten was warm tucked into spare feathers and remaining fur of previous kills in what seemed to be a nest. She looked around warily, head moving the smallest amount she possibly could at a time. To her right there were downy feathers and other goods collected. To her left, a monster. The kitten froze in terror, eyes wide and lungs stalled. The bird, in turn, cocked its head and it looked at her. Its eyes wide, curious, and surprisingly passive. Surprisingly, the kitten understood when the bird spoke as it told her she was not in any danger and that it was going to take care of her. The bird introduced itself as Valdis, his name meaning the “spirit of war”. He told her he was going to nurse her back to health and help raise and train her since she no longer had any family to go back to.

Over the next few months to a year, the female kitten was nursed back to health, or as healthy as she could be, and was trained in the ways of the condors. About a week into her stay, she was named Amina, meaning “tiny spirit” in honor of her stubbornness and bravery in the face of this new adversary, and also to prod at her small size. Ever since then she had gone by Amina, long forgetting her birth name. She became master at the hunt and the fight, as much as she could be considering her handicap of lacking wings. Throughout the years Amina and Valdis grew incredibly close, the condor acting almost as a father-figure for her. He admitted to her that he was an outcast and was incredibly lonely before running into her tiny injured self. He had seen her run into the bramble patch and was keeping a close eye on it to make sure no harm came her way. When it got late into the night and the ice to the air grew colder, Valdis had decided to take matters into his own hands.

It has been six years that this unlikely pair have known each other, and they’re as close as ever. Amina goes nowhere without Valdis and relies on him in every way possible, despite being a grown cat. Valdis has become somewhere between a best friend and father figure as she matured and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

[faelyn]

username: faelyn
cat name: theodore [teddy]
gender: male
rank: criminal
clan: faerie!!
age: 123 moons
prompt: midas

[LittleMaple]

Username: LittleMaple
Cat Name: Condorflight (and Charcoal!)
Gender: nb, masc leaning he/them/it
Rank: Hunter - aerial subset
Clan: Aetherclan
Age: 6 years
Prompt: Wingbeats sounded above the head of the small apprentice, it was the end. This was where he, Condorpaw, met his demise. He hung his head and slowed his sprint. When they looked up, however, the bird had landed. They recognized it and knew it was their namesake. How ironic that the bird they were named after would be the one to kill them. They raised their head high and met the bird’s gaze. “I fear you not, the creature of my own! We are one and the same, and you do not scare me!”Condorpaw yelled, startling the bird. It flapped its wings and backed away, but didn’t take off. Condorpaw paused and looked closer at the bird. Its wing looked injured, and Condorpaw took a few steps forward to get a better look. The bird made a hissing noise at him, and he jumped back in surprise. His ears flattened to his head, but he still crept forward. The bird still grunted and flapped its wings, but it seemed calmer now. Condorpaw gently inspected the hurt wing, and saw that it just looked… wrong. He sighed and mulled over his choices. He could either run back to the clan that had just chased him out and wished for his death, or he could take his chances with the bird. He decided that the bird was at least more trustworthy, and could probably protect him better than he could on his own. The condor tilted its head at the apprentice and got closer. Condorpaw flinched, but let the bird get closer. Its face smelled of rot and decay, but it seemed gentle. Its eyes were like his own, amber reflecting in amber. They broke away from the bird’s gaze and started towards their safe space, a small cavern they had discovered that was far enough away from their clan but close enough to familiar lands that they knew their way around.

The bird seemed confused but followed after the small cat. It didn’t take flight, instead walking alongside Condorpaw. He thought this odd, but then again, who was he to judge? They reached the cavern and Condorpaw breathed out a sigh of relief. Finally, he was safe. Only he and his new companion knew of this place. At least, that’s what he hoped. The bird stepped inside warily, its wings close to its sides. Its head was turning, observing, almost documenting its surroundings. Condorpaw looked back at the bird, realizing he didn’t have any healing herbs or knowledge of how to use any. ” Well,” he thought to himself, “at least there are cobwebs here, maybe I can try to use them?” He didn’t know if this would work, but sometimes in life, you had to take chances. He gathered the cobwebs into a large ball and walked over to the condor. The bird looked down at him, lowering its head to face the apprentice at eye level. Condorpaw felt a chill run down his spine as he looked into the bird’s eye, seeing his own reflected back at him. He tried to walk to the bird’s side, but it turned so that it could continue looking at him. Condorpaw felt annoyance start to bubble up under his fur, but forced himself to calm down. The bird didn’t understand what was happening, so of course it wasn’t going to be easy. Condorpaw tried showing the bird that he could be trusted but to no avail. At this point, the young cat was angry. It had been a long day, and they was just trying to help! Why couldn’t the bird understand that? Finally, Condorpaw resorted to quickly placing cobweb on the wing and then backing up to avoid being hit by the bird’s body as it turned to look at them. After the two played this game for a time, Condorpaw had had enough. They placed to cobweb harshly, pulling down on the bird’s injured wing. It grunted in alarm and used its large beak to shove them aside with little care. Condorpaw felt their fur bristle in fury and exploded at the bird, “I’m just trying to help! Why can’t you understand that?! It’s your own fault you got hurt, stupid bird! You can trust me if you just stay still!” He yelled, furious. The bird looked at him with shock on its face before shuffling to a deeper part of the cavern. Condorpaw smoothed down his fur with effort, still angry. This was getting him nowhere, it was best to just sleep for the night and try something else in the morning.

The next day, Condorpaw was awoken by the smell of decay. He jumped up, fur bristling with alarm. Luckily, it was just his condor companion. “Gosh, you can’t sneak up on me like that!” Condorpaw exclaimed before pausing, having realized that he couldn’t properly scold his friend if he didn’t know its name! He looked at the bird, circling it and tilting his head. The condor mimicked him, making small hissing noises. He stopped, facing the bird head-on and looking quite pleased with himself. “My friend, your new name shall be Charcoal! What do you think of that, buddy?” Condorpaw asked, smiling big. The bird hissed, and Condorpaw took this to mean that it agreed. “Charcoal it is then!” He looked at the bird, his gaze drifting down to its wing. “Oh and… I’m sorry about your wing… I just- I wanted to help you, but we can’t understand one another very well so it turned out wrong. I’m sorry,” he said, looking down at the cold ground below. The bird hissed and used its head to tilt Condorpaw’s head back up so it could look at him. It seemed to accept his apology, and Condorpaw’s eyes lit up with joy. “Thanks, Charcoal!” He said, smiling at the bird. It bounced its head, did it understand him? Surprise jolted through Condorpaw, but he quickly shook it off. At least the two had reached some form of understanding.

“Hey, Charcoal, what’d you say we go see what trouble we can get ourselves into?” Condorpaw asked as he bounded to the mouth of the cavern, looking back at the bird. It hissed loudly in reply, shuffling after him. Once the two were outside, Condorpaw looked at Charcoal. He nodded his head, and Charcoal mirrored him. Condorpaw took off, tearing through the brush. He could hear the sound of large wingbeats behind him, which quickly turned to above him. The young cat looked up as a shadow passed over him, seeing Charcoal looking back down at him. He raced out of the trees, directly into a large clearing. Charcoal circled for a moment before landing in front of the apprentice. Condorpaw looked at the bird for a moment, before exploding with laughter. “I think the two of us are going to become best of friends!” Condorpaw announced, before doing a double take. Wasn’t Charcoal’s wing hurt? Condorpaw stopped up in front of the bird, an annoyed expression on his face. He gestured to its wing, and it let out an amused grunting noise. It spread its large wings, startling Condorpaw. ” I guess it was just… sore?” Condorpaw thought to himself, shaking his head. “Well then, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. Let’s go!” He called as he ran off, soon followed by wingbeats.

(1224 words! I also made these two a playlist, which you can find here! and, as a treat, I made a little art piece of Condorflight which you can find here!)

[Archaeopteryx.]

Username: KittyandCat
Cat Name: Cinderthroat
Gender: (transmasc) tom
Rank: Elder
Clan: HollowClan
Age: 125 moons
Prompt:
-snip-

Congrats on winning Cinderthroat! I loved reading everyone's entries so much, it was so hard to choose the winner of this cat <3

Also awarding an RU to faelyn!

[KittyandCat]

aaaa thank you so so much!