[☥𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒☥] ♛Warriors RP♚ Aᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛɪɴɢ!

[dinolover519]

Layla| female | 11 moons | courtier |Location: Courtyard|Tags: badgerpaw, semi-open|mentions: Zeri, Fallah highbloods|

She quickly dipped her head back down, barely catching his playful wink. What was I thinking‽ If anyone saw me, I could be killed in a flash... her mind flashed back to the previous night’s events. If Zeri finds out...or even worse.... Her gold and blue eyes shifted left and right, spotting a large tan she-cat, trying to burn holes in the back of Badgerpaw’s head with her eyes. Fallah’s going to give me a big talk on the dangers of highbloods again... she thought with a mental sigh. Her gaze returned to the young tom before her, not his face, but his paws.

As every one of her brain cells screeched at her to leave and her back to work, the black molly mouthed her name,”Layla”, not daring to meet his green gaze again, yet still pushing the boundaries of the ancient laws that bound this clan together. If life had been different...her heart plunged. If her mother had lived, perhaps she would still be a high blood. Perhaps she would be a guard apprentice with Badgerpaw. Maybe they would be best friends. Maybe even mates. Layla shook her head and swallowed the lump in her throat, and holding the tears that threatened to rise. Mother... Layla had never met the she-cat who birthed her, but from what she had heard, The molly was as beautiful as she was kind.

Silver|male|24 moons|chattel cat| location: Royal mines|tags: Fenrys, semi-open |mentions:

The silver tom nodded and decided it would probably be best to keep quiet for now. As his metal pickaxe banged against the stone walls, a second banging echoed in his chest. Perhaps he was getting sick, but everything about him felt odd, his fur felt much warmer than usual, and his heart and stomach seemed to be filled with butterflies. Maybe I’m getting sick...or maybe I’m just nervous around new company.... He began to realize how little he actually interacted with other cats, other than the occasional snarky remark to a guard. I need to get out more... he thought sarcastically, and a bit of a grin etched itself onto his muzzle.

Druidia|female|18 moons|loner|location: by the clan border|tags: none, open|mentions: none

The Savannah glanced one more time back at Sunclan territory, then shrugged off her worries and headed towards her den. The den was a rather large dug-in cave by an oasis spring. Next to it were two shrines, one to the Trifold that her ancestors worshipped, and one to the gods of Egypt, who ruled this land.The first shrine consisted of a small statue of the triple divinity, with some food offerings and moon-shaped rocks and trinkets. The second shrine was a tablet with pictures of a few of the gods carved in, surrounded by small offerings as well.

She bowed her head to each, and left a small piece of prey before each alter. Many would find her belief in multiple pantheons odd, but her mindset was simple. All deities were true to some degree, but guarded over different lands and domains. She worshipped a few gods of Egypt to protect her in her new home, but still honored the Greek ones that brought her here.

Quietly, The molly dipped her head to the crossroads goddesses and prayed in Greek. Oh Selene, Hecate, and Artemis, by the moon above, protect me and guide over me. Selene shine your light of wisdom upon me, Hecate protect my soul through life and death, and Artemis, let me hunt bountifully through the times to come.

Scarabstone|male|24 moons|scribe|location: commoner den, heading to treasury|tags: Ehhhhh, open?|mentions: Foxfire, Mothpaw

He dipped his head to Foxfire in thanks for assisting his apprentice before continuing back to work. His green eyes scanned the treasures as he tallied them, making sure nothing had been taken. As he continued the nearly mindless repetition of tallying, his thoughts and worries about the apprentices and last night’s events faded with the simple repeating motions.

[Sunsmoke]

ʆƛƓƛƲƦƧƬƦЄƛM |

40 Moons | Male | High Priest
No Crush | No Mate | No Apprentice
Location: With The Clan | Tag : Open

The High Priest watched as Darkstar left the room. He flicked his tail to the side before he cleared his throat a bit. He soon looked down as he was thinking about all the cats he had to pair up since no one was together. He hasn't even seen any families start to grow. The tom flicked his tail while he soon lets out a small sigh. "What to do what to do with the pairs and what cat should I pair together." The tom spoke to himself before he pushed himself to his paws as he wished to speak to the gods but couldn't now. The mating ceremony wasn't that far away and he needed to work fast. His head lowered as he closed his eyes a bit as he was thinking.

ꀘꀤꈤꀸ꒒ꍟꎇ꒒ꍏꎭꍟ |

25 Moons | Male | Guard
No Crush | No Mate | No Apprentice
Location: With The Clan | Tag : Fallencloud

Kindleflame tilted his head to the side before he mews softly. "Oh Fallencloud, I know you would never like me like that because you should have better." He soon stood up as he flicked his tail across her nose. "Also I am never wasting my time on you. Listening to your words and hearing your thoughts are more than that. I actually find that you might be the smartest cat in the whole clan." He soon teased after he went to the right side. His head held high as he watched the Royals a bit. He flicked his ear backward as he was listening for anything and everything around them. "Also Fallencloud, there most likely isn't a cat out there for me. No one would like to have a flirt as their mate and not one who flirts without knowing it." He spoke softly as he watched the area around them.

ȼ๏$ʍɨȼƒ€ąţh€я

17 Moons | Female | Fighter
No Crush | No Mate | No Apprentice
Location: Den | Tag: Open

The young fluffy brown she-cat flicked her tail to the side while her dark blue eyes were looking around. Her ears flatten while she soon thought for a moment as she had left the room where her father had called for a punishment for Stormhaze. The young she-cat loved her father greatly but didn't care for what he was doing. The young she-cat soon shook hear pelt out as her jay feathers were shaking along with her fur. The feathers never left her fur but many had tried to remove them and got a slap to the muzzle for trying since she loved the coloring and the way they work with her own fur coloring. After a moment Cosmicfeather flicked her tail while she let out a soft sigh before she looked away from her life as she looked into the sandy area they called their hunting grounds.

[Nyverria]

𝓦𝓸𝓵𝓯𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽

Female|37 moons|Guard|Location: Territory|Tags: Stormhaze

➣Wolfheart followed as soon as Stormhaze beckoned her to follow. While the two conversed and wove through the tunnels that lead to the entrance. She fell silent as she kept a tail-length from the captain. Once they had went West, the grey tabby noticed that Stormhaze had let her take the lead and so she kept walking until she perked her ears when he spoke. "I wouldn't let you die out here." Wolfheart began as she glanced back at Stormhaze, "Even if I was offered to be captian..." she paused lost in thought. "I wouldn't be as good of a leader like yourself." she finished as she looked ahead to keep walking.

Wolfheart had strayed a little father than Stormahze did and managed to find a meerkat den with a few pups inside big enough for her to carry without a problem and none of the parents were around. She slunk into the den and quickly killed on of the three pups and dragged it out of the den and made her way back to Stormhaze to see his cobwebs damaged by an adder that the tom had decapitated. "Are you alright?" Wolfheart questioned quickly as she hurried to him and dropped her prey to check for a snake bite but just saw his bandages were tampered with. "Here let me fix the cobwebs real quick." she said as she started to fix the cobwebs on Stormhaze's back where his lashes were at. Once she listened to the tom say to return home, the grey molly nodded and picked up her kill and waited for him to follow.

[Fortune's Fool]

𝔾𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥
-- She-cat :: 42 Moons :: Guard :: ~Coldfang
"Your catch is rather impressive as well," Gleamingheart mewed is response, ear flicking in amusement at the fighter's attempt to speak through his catch's fur. "It is rather nice, actually," she agreed after a moment of thought. "You're right though, it may be difficult to continue hunting with these... and if we catch something else, it may even pose a bit of a problem." Not a bad problem, really, but still a problem. "Perhaps we should head back with what we have? If necessary we could always just head back out."


𝔽𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕕𝕝𝕠𝕥𝕦𝕤
-- Tom :: 26 Moons :: Scout :: ~Sagepaw, Fogstep, Beefang
His apprentice's question gave him pause, his expression unsure as he instead turned to the two fighters with them. Was it possible that she was? As a scout he'd had little part in the attack which meant it was impossible for him to say for sure. He didn't like not being able to soothe her fears, however. "If she... were, it would seem unlikely that she'd simply... stop at stealing prey just over the border." He said after a moment, "it would be more common to either avoid us altogether or..." His voice trailed off, the implications that the other option was what had happened the day before clear.


𝔽𝕠𝕘𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕡
-- She-cat :: 25 Moons :: Fighter :: ~Beefang, Fadedlotus, Sagepaw
"I was under the impression that, as of last night, the only one of that group left is currently working the mines," Fogstep spoke up, her voice far more casual than it probably should have been for the topic. "Hard to say for sure though, but he's got a point either way - it would be odd behavior. Too much for avoidance of a similar fate, too little for a plot of revenge."


𝔽𝕠𝕩𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖
-- Tom :: 31 Moons :: Scribe :: ~Scarabstone, vaguely? N/a
Foxfire flicked his tail in acknowledgement of the thanks before doing the same as Scaranstone and refocusing back on the treasure and the job before them. It was an easy part of their job, so long as none of their tallies came up short. Meaning it was easy to either zone out completely or fall back into his thoughts. The latter seemed like a bad idea with recent events and his apprentice still... hiding? That seemed like the wrong word, recovering from the situation, maybe. Getting too caught up in his thoughts could lead to mistakes, so instead he mostly cleared his mind beyond thoughts of treasure and numbers.

ℤ𝕖𝕣𝕚
-- Non-binary :: 19 Moons :: Music Courtier :: ~n/a
With no music required for now, one of the high bloods had taken to ordering Zeri around. Which is what had led them to be cleaning one of the dens, mismatched eyes just a bit unfocused and their mind elsewhere. This wasn't especially a task that required much thought or awareness, so there was little harm in it really. They were unlikely to make any mistakes, they'd done this so often.

𝕍𝕚𝕡𝕖𝕣
-- Tom :: 27 Moons :: Rogue :: ~Crocodile
For a second he seemed amused at how her eyes immediately went to the prey he had brought, but his attention returned to her wares as she started speaking. "Interesting... could probably do some damage if used the right way," he mewed appreciatively, his tail flicking back and forth. His eye shifted to the bits of metal after a second however, as he tended to do. Specifically it was a bit of normal wire, as opposed to the barbed wire she held. He'd been making some form of wind chime when he was particularly bored recently, which was the entirety of his draw to it. "Picked up on any news from the clan? I haven't run into any patrols lately."

[~Wildfire]

B A D G E R P A W
{ male - 12 moons - guard's apprentice - location: courtyard - tags: layla, guards }

A charming smile lit up his face when he read her name on her lips. He had to remind himself to look indifferent for the sake of keeping prying eyes away from both of them, but even once he schooled his features into a neutral look, the glint in his green eyes remained.
The black and white apprentice stepped forward, towering over her with his height, and to anyone looking their way, his stance, the way he approached would have looked arrogant, threatening. Simply another egotistic highblood, picking on one of the courtiers, just because he can. In a corner of his mind it occurred to Badgerpaw just how disconcerting it was that it was so easy to pull up this facade, the act of being just as much of a dirtbag as most of the others. That was what would keep them both safe though, if they wanted to be sure that no one made any dangerous assumptions.
But his expression was soft and kind as he stopped, still a few steps away from the she-cat, but close enough for her to hear when he murmured, "A stunning name for a stunning cat." And it was absolutely, utterly true.
However, he knew that their time was running short and despite how much he wanted to stay and get to know Layla, Badgerpaw couldn't put either of them at risk any longer. Not for such selfish reasons. He gave her one last warm smile and with great effort backed away.
Barely a few heartbeats after he did, one of the guards approached, heading past them to the tunnels. Almost instantly, a carefree grin spread over the tall apprentice's features as he nodded in greeting to the other highblood, watching him pass. With a last look at the courtier, he mouthed, "See you later," before trotting off to his daily chores, his steps surprisingly heavy.

S M O K E S T E P
{ male - 49 moons - pharaoh's squire - location: royal archives - tags: darkstar }

Smokestep followed the Pharaoh into his royal office, the familiar, comforting smell of old parchment and leather-bound books wrapping around him and coaxing a small smile to tug at the corners of his mouth. Though the brawny male was a warrior through-and-through, the appeal of book-bound knowledge was not lost on him, and he usually found the dusty library to be a soothing place.
While Darkstar headed to the ornate desk, the silver brute took up a spot near the wall, sitting down comfortably for the inevitably long hours of work that awaited them both. The silence might have been deafening if he had to spend so much time with any other cat, but with the Pharaoh it was the exact opposite. Neither of the toms felt the need to fill it with unnecessary words and Smokestep knew when he was needed even without explicit commands.
He positioned himself so that he was facing the entrance, his ears perked and all his senses alert, ready to intercept any threat that would approach. He had no hesitations, no doubts when it came to Darkstar's safety. He knew that if worst came to worst, he would give his life to save the Pharaoh. And not just because he was the clan's leader or because Smokestep was his squire, oath-bound to protect the tom. But because the tom was his oldest friend and Smokestep would fight tooth and claw for those close to himself.
It was that fondness, that neither of them would ever mention to the other, and the fact that they had made it this far together, that had rooted in him such a deep sense of loyalty to the Pharaoh. He had stood near during the Trial of Longknives, when Darkstar was made pharaoh, and every step since and he knew better than almost anyone just how much it had taken to get where the clan was now. He might not agree with some of the decisions, but he was patient enough to always wait for the final outcome before he ever passed his judgement.

[`sappho]

ｗｈｉｔｅｌｉｌｙ — ☼

xxxfind the golden face of the lion, long buried in the sand. the words were spoken into her ears any moment she lost focus. the pure white she-cat's paws sunk into the sand dunes each time she took a step. she had pulled her sharp orange veil higher than normal, shielding her bright blue eyes from the grains of sand that pierced her like daggers each time wind blew. her golden gauntlets rang as they hit against each other each time she walked. the sun was harsh. ra was watching her. i promise, ra, great sun, i will find the face of the lion that you so wish for, she thought, her eyes closed. it had been two sunrises since they left the camp. whitelily had never been this far out of her element. ra had never spoke to her quite like this before. he was sure and demanding of what she needed to find. he had whispered to while she slept that she would need a scout and the son of the pharaoh.

xxxheatwaves blurred the land ahead of her but she could feel it. it was just ahead, the object that she needed. she walked on and on, she could hear the heavy panting of her companions behind her. and then, she felt in. it is here. my obedient hemet-netjer, ra said to her. she nodded before turning behind her. "dig here," she order to the two of them.

ｌｉｏｎｃｌａｗ — ♚

xxxit felt like it had been years since he had been drug out of camp with the priestess. they had dug deep in the sand to get water whenever they had to. thankfully there was still some water left. come the dry season there probably wouldn't even be water left there. if he was being honest, lionclaw had no idea what he was doing on this journey with whitelily and it wasn't really his place to ask. no matter if he was the son of the pharaoh, she was the chosen one of ra and thus any disrespect of her, or any questioning at all, would defiantly get him into trouble.

xxxhe was panting heavily and walking beside of the scout that had also been ordered to come along. and when he was suddenly ordered to dig in the sand, he did, thinking they were just digging for water. but this time was different. as he dug and dug he saw something glitter in the sun. his eyes sparked with interest and he began to dig around the sparkling. he saw it now. it was a small statuette of some god or goddess with the face of a lion. he heard a gasp behind and the priestess quick sprinted into the narrow hole and took the golden figure in her mouth before she turned and started to run back towards the camp.

ｂｌｏｓｓｏｍｓｏｎｇ — ⚔

xxxblossomsong didnt really have time to think about what had just happened when the priestess took off with the golden idol in her mouth. "we'd better go after her!" she heard lionclaw say before he took off, getting a burst of energy. the scout forced herself to follow after the two of them. it had taken them two days to get this far but at this speed they'd be back at camp in no time. she had also been forced to come along on this journey with no explanation but she didn't dare even wonder why. it was defiantly not her place. quickly, even quicker than she imagined, their familiar homeland came into view and they were back in camp. she watched as the priestess of ra scurried off to talk to the pharaoh.

[LucidDreary]

✶xＤａｒｋＳｔａｒ
────────────────
─ Feeling; Annoyed; Stressed; Disgruntled; Location; Royal Archives; Royal Anclove; Tags; Smokestep; Jaguarstream; Goldenwaves; ─

xxxxxThrough the hours that drained the day, Darkstar found himself not truly concentrating much as per his usually calculative mindset. The thoughts of the new generation of assigned mates was certainly dogging him, but the particularly placed on his desk with an elegant paw-woven ribbon whispered the faint, lingering scent of Jaguarstream's clever heart. The Pharaoh had made himself concentrate on the more pressing documents before hesitantly pulling the ribbon to expose neat handwriting.

xxxxxxxx𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟.

xxxxx𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝐺𝑎𝑙𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑚𝑒𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑤.
xxxxx𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑑𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛'𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢.
xxxxx𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦, 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑎𝑠 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑙𝑒'𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔...

xxxxx𝐷𝑜 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑢𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒!
𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑚𝑒𝑛,
xxxxxxxx-𝐽𝑎𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚

xxxxxA whisper of an annoyed hiss escaped him as he wearily dropped the parchment upon the stacks of other paperwork. The Pharaoh rubbed his brow with a paw and took a breath that certainly indicated he was attempting to gain whatever patience he could scramble together for himself.
xxxxxThe Gala of Sekhmet was a partially sacred event that usually alternated between themes of the Royals Choosing; With the Priestess of Sekhmet herself hosting the event. Due to her passing, Jaguarstream would be taking her place. Given the timing of her death, it was unfortunate timing that she would miss her own party.. which was quite a dark thought since it was in the Goddess's honor. Perhaps this year they would give an extra tribute to the Goddess.
xxxxxOn top of that, it wasn't exactly a mystery what kind of "plans" the High Priest would have for the Gala, considering that it would entail the mingling of both Commoners and High Bloods. For a festival or ball/celebration, according to the Ancient Laws, was for everyone. And therefore rank could not be involved- especially when it was in the honor of the Goddess who created the desert and all the Clan thrived upon.
xxxxxTurning to the silent squire that sat quietly near the entrance of the Anclove, Darkstar cleared his throat and beckoned the tom over. His thoughts in mind would certainly delay Jaguarstream's schemes to aid in matching mates... It didn't take long to decide the theme of the Gala. The thought of putting the High Priest on irritation's edge certainly sent a wave of prickling satisfaction up his spine in retaliation of the tom's nerve to lecture him earlier.
xxxxx"Thank you, Smokestep for your help. After the cats have gathered for dinning, I will queue you over to make the announcement... I'm sure it will lighten the mood." A grin curled on the tom's lip as he continued.
xxxxx"After all," the tom drawled, "I can't remember the last time we hosted something as deliriously ironic as a Masquerade Ball.."

കx𝐒 𝐭 𝐨 𝐫 𝐦 𝐡 𝐚 𝐳 𝐞
────────────────
─ Feeling; Self-Discriminant; Critical; Location; The Border; The Temple; Tags; Wolfheart; Fadedlotus; Rosewater ─

xxxxxThe trek home wasn't as pleasant as Stormhaze would have hoped. There was no doubt in his mind that Sekhmet herself wasn't in the best of moods considering her vessel had been killed. As they reached a dead tree that often served as a marker that they were headed toward camp, the faint, lingering scent of the patrol Stormhaze had sent to check the border rancidly brushed his maw.
xxxxxTurning to the fae accompanying him, he dipped his head apologetically, "I have concerns about the the border patrol I sent out earlier. I think I'm going to go check on them before I head back to camp. Would you mind making the trip home alone?"

xxxxxThe tom wasted no time burying his snake to return to later and set off to find his troops. To his disdain, it took him a little longer than he expected to track them through the draining heat of the sun upon the unforgiving sea of sand. But he eventually found them where he'd sent them- it slightly irritated the tom to find that they were certainly behind schedule. He greeted them curtly- his features giving none of his thoughts away as he asked what appeared to be the problem- although the stench over the border certainly answered his question. But he did not interrupt as Fadedlotus didn't hesitate to report the situation in a not-surprisingly mallow tone.
xxxxx"I want everyone here to mark the border here specifically and those who passed the other scent of another cat who no doubt stole prey as well to especially make it as strong. I want the cats to know that we've noted their presence here." The brute's tone was steel as he turned to the border himself as he continued, "We will be increasing patrols from now on on every border we have for a few moons before we relax. We have been slacking since before the passing of the priestess, and it should be noted that we will begin more sparring sessions daily now. If you do not have an apprentice to work with, then you will be reporting to those sessions every so often. It's time we build our senses up. I will not lose another High Blood or cat to our enemies on our lack of account to do our jobs to the best of our ability."

xxxxxStormhaze himself marked the border until the stench of his marker, he was sure, could be scented for fox lengths away from it. And after he did so for each trespassed areas, he expectantly waited until each of his troops did the same. Once or twice, he even sent a cat back. They did not leave until Stormhaze was satisfied; Dusk had began to light the sky with Ra's passing. As they approached the tree, Stormhaze quickly sent the patrol on their way and recovered his snake. By the time he returned, he saw that he made it just in time to see they had begun to bring out the tables for the High Bloods and lower ranks for dinner. He wasted no time storing the prey in the cellar and padded to the temple; where he'd no doubt get his ears clawed off by Rosewater when she saw what was left of his cobwebs..

⪩x𝑭 𝒆 𝒏 𝒓 𝒚 𝒔
────────────────
─ Feeling; Drained; Exhausted; Curious; Location; Royal Mine; His Cell; Tags; Silver; Fallon ─

xxxxxThey had been given very little breaks every so often in the mines; and it didn't take long for the exhilarating thought of ending Sunclan to dull in his chest as he was forced to carry difficultly heavy loads of coal to the furnaces that powered the ironworks deeper in the mine itself. He was dully aware of the molly that clamped his chains tighter as she escorted him and Silver back to their cells. As soon as the she-cat was dismissed from her post, Fenrys whispered through the bars as he spotted the cat replacing her, "I hope they all choke on what we do for them...eventually."
xxxxxHe sighed and took in his now matted pelt that was littered in a disturbing amounts of debris. Black dust contorted his already ashen pelt- and it was sickening to realize that if he groomed it, he'd have to wait until the next water supply that they were served arrived. Which would most likely occur the next morning.
xxxxxHe nearly drifted off when the rattling of the iron bars to his cell irritatingly creaked as a measly vole was pushed by a well groomed paw. As he got to his paws, he was momentarily put off guard to see the she-cat that observed him. A High-Blood, no doubt.
Or so he assumed; as they stared at each other- it was as if the spell was broken as the she-cat was whipped by a muscular tom- "What're you doing there lingerin' for? Get back to work, trash!"

≋xℚ 𝕦 𝕚 𝕖 𝕥 ℝ 𝕒 𝕚 𝕟
────────────────
─ Feeling; Amused; Location; The Temple Tags; Stormhaze; Rosewater; ─

There was no doubt in the young she-cat's mind that Rosewater would do more than just claw the tom's ears off when Stormhaze padded into the Temple. His cobwebs were surprisingly still clinging to his pelt, but she had certainly wagered correctly in assuming they'd be a wreck by the time he returned. And he had returned rather later than she had expected as she had emerged from Osiris's cave and encountered the mesmerizing temple waters. As she saw Rosewater, it was difficult to hide her amusement as the scowl emerged from the normally pristinly kind face.

[dinolover519]

Layla| female | 11 moons | courtier |Location: Courtyard|Tags: none|mentions: Badgerpaw|

She watched the apprentice walk away with sadnes sin her eyes. Despite the risks, she wanted to see him again. She let out a silent sigh and continued with her work, cleaning the stains that scarred the floor, but with less worry, and instead filled with daydreams.

Silver|male|24 moons|chattel cat| location: slave cells|tags: Fenrys, Fallon|mentions:

He looked up and laughed at Fenrys’s shocked face. “Why are you acting so surprised? It’s just another slave, a courtier by the looks of it. They’re actually permitted grooming rights, but they’re not that much higher than us in the pecking order.” He explained from his scrappy nest in the cell across from him. His eyes narrowed in the She-cat’s direction, almost with jealousy? But that would be ridiculous, why on earth would he be jealous of another slave....Silver just couldn’t figure out the knot in his stomach.

Druidia|female|18 moons|loner|location: by the clan border|tags: none, open|mentions: none

After completing her rituals, the molly climbed into her den and napped for an hour or so, before waking up from the heat blasting into the cave she called home. She yawned and stretched, climbing back out of her den. The savannah trotted back towards the Sunclan border. The cats of Suncoan weren’t dead like she hoped. They were finally up and out, hunting and patrolling. No cat had noticed her yet, but that didn’t mean she was well hidden.

Druidia trotted along the edge, no set task, just wandering and scavenging. Maybe if she was lucky she would find something in the sandy desert.

Scarabstone|male|24 moons|scribe|location: commoner den, heading to treasury|tags: Foxfire|mentions:none

Scarabstone was documenting the treasury when he noticed something peculiar. He checked his lists a few more times, before he was sure, then analyzed the treasury. “By Ra above...” he muttered. “Hey Foxfire, are you busy?” He called. “I want you to double check me, but it looks like we’re missing something.” It was simple, a small piece of golden jewelry, an earring. Easily overlooked and easy to steal, but it had been unmoved for moons, and now, it suddenly wasn’t there.

Goldenwaves|female|46 moons| Priestess of Isis|location|royal archives|tags: Darkstar|mentions: preistess of Sekhmet, Jaguarstream

Goldenwaves gracefully entered the Royal archives and strolled over to Darkstar, giving his ear a comforting lick, knowing he was still stressed over last night’s events. “Hello darling...” She mewed sweetly, her green eyes filled with sympathy for her mate. Despite his disposition, she truly believed he was good at heart, and the stress of the priestess of Sekhmet’s death as well as the pressure of choosing the next generations of mates with Jaguarstream was getting to him. “How are you doing?” she asked softly. “And don’t tell me you’re fine, I can tell you’re anything but that.”

[~Wildfire]

B A D G E R P A W
{ male - 12 moons - guard's apprentice - location: courtyard - tags: open }

Badgerpaw trotted across the courtyard, looking around in search of any sign of his mentor. Eventually he spotted Kindleflame sitting with Fallencloud, deep in conversation. They had a serious, somber air to them and so he decided it was probably not the best idea to interrupt them with questions about whether they were done with training for the day or not.
Instead, he turned back around and headed for the tunnels, his destination being the Elders' den. The black and white apprentice entered, ducking his head both in respect of the older cats and to be able to fit his tall frame through the entrance. He kept his gaze down as he asked if they needed anything in particular before dinner began.
The elders were seemingly in a good mood, despite the many unfortunate events that had occurred the past few days, and sent him on his way without too many cranky remarks. Having fulfilled his duties for the day, Badgerpaw dipped his head in respect and backed out of the den, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he made his way out of the tunnels. Not because of the prospect of dinner, but because he knew he would see Layla. Even though the lower ranks dined at separate tables, they were still in the same space.

S M O K E S T E P
{ male - 49 moons - pharaoh's squire - location: royal archives - tags: darkstar }

Smokestep padded over to Darkstar, a spark of curiosity in his eyes. The Pharaoh had been swamped with work these past few weeks, and the weight of the upcoming assignment of mates had also not escaped the keen eye of the squire. And so the satisfied grin on the leader's face made the silver tom wonder what exactly he was planning for the Gala. It certainly had something to do with the forwardness the High Priest had displayed during the past few days.
When the words 'Masquerade ball' left Darkstar's mouth, Smokestep gave him a surprised look, which however, soon morphed into an amused smile. It truly had been a long time since one of those had been held in the clan. Probably because a masquerade with the ranks temporarily not pulling any weight smelled of both trouble and opportunity for miles away.
"I'm sure the others will appreciate the news. Some celebrating will do us all good," he replied, giving the tom a slight nod of his head to show he definitely agreed with the plan.
"Do you want me to prepare something particular for the announcement ? Maybe a glass of cold water for Jaguarstream?" Smokestep added with a smirk of his own.
The sarcasm that rang in his voice was a rare occurrence for the stoic tom, which he usually kept on a short leash, but he couldn't simply let that opportunity pass him by.
His ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps, but a quick sniff of the air told him it was the Pharaoh's mate and as such no cause for alarm. When Goldenwaves approached, Smokestep backed up respectfully, schooling his features back into neutrality. He took up a spot by the stone wall once more, at once waiting for Darkstar's reply and staying nearby for protection.

F A L L O N
{ female - 22 moons - courtier - location: the cells - tags: fenrys, silver, guard }

An involuntary shiver ran down the molly's back as she descended into the dark of the mines, two small voles dangling from her jaws. The smell of ash and coal got stronger the further she went down the tunnel, her ears pinned back. But it was the misery that seemed to seep from the walls that made her want to turn around and leave as fast as possible.
When she finally reached the cells, passing a guard who looked at her like she was a rat in his bedding, she dropped both of the voles on the ground, opened a hatch in the iron bars of the cage and pushed them through to the cats inside.
Fallon blinked in surprise when her eyes met those of the tom behind the bars. He was dirty and had that dull, tired look all the chattel cats shared, that the mines seemed to give out freely to all those that entered. But what caught her attention was the spark of defiance in his eyes, which was so at odds with his beat up appearance.
She realized that she was staring a heartbeat too late, as the crack of a whip warned her of pain a split second before it came, the rough leather lashing her across her back. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that it hadn't drawn blood this time, but the force of it almost made her legs buckle. The white she-cat grit her teeth against the yelp of pain that threatened to escape her. She would not give the guard such satisfaction.
Instead, Fallon lifted her head defiantly, her eyes blazing. But she didn't look at the guard. Rather she fixed her blue gaze on the prisoner, the scars on her cheek stark in the dim lighting of the mines, wanting him to understand that it would take much more than a whip to break her. She detested pity almost more than the arrogant behavior of the highbloods.
Out of the corner of her eye Fallon saw the guard gripping the whip, ready to repeat his actions if she didn't move. Even if she was proud, she was not stupid, and getting beaten into a pulp would not help her situation. The guard was not supposed to harm her too visibly, since her job depended partially on her looks, but one could not count on those brutes being able to stop themselves.
And so she broke eye contact with the tom, feeling as though she had severed something solid, and strode out of the mines, her shoulders back and steps graceful despite the burning brand across her spine.

[Lunara Archeron]

S C O R P I O N H E A R T

male - 29 moons - fighter - location: hunting grounds - tags: N/A

The fighter tom shook out his sleek brown striped fur, his yellow eyes narrowing, and pounced. The vole he had been tracking had time for one squeak of consternation before Scorpionheart pounced on it, killing it with a swift bite. "Thank you Isis...for this catch." Scorpionheart half murmered, half purred to himself. He picked up another bird—a roadrunner that he had caught earlier before deciding to to head back to camp. His mouth tickled from the vole's fur, and Scorpionheart fought a sneeze by blinking rapidly. Two catches of prey was good, even though the roadrunner was definitely thin by Scorpionheart's opinion. The vole was plump and wod feed the clan well. "I wonder how my sister Levana is holding up." the tom thought, thinking about the high-blood molly. Stormhaze's whipping had to have been hard on her.

When Scorpionheart had learned that their family would be split by rank, he had been....well both wistful and happy. He and Levana were close, even though she was a rank above him. Not being able to address her by name was.....extremely awkward to say the least. The reason being that he couldn't call her anything at all! The forest, with scents of forests and sunlight, made him instinctively think about Levana.

L E V A N A

female - 27 moons - guard / highblood - location: courtyard - tags: Badgerpaw and layla and other guards?

Levana was outside in the courtyard, sunning herself and she noticed Badgerpaw and Layla's acting. Despite her status and rank, the light tan tabby highblood allowed herself a bit of a inside smile of approval. In reality, she found the way that Badgerpaw interacted with Layla amusing and cute. It was funny really, how two cats of completely different social standing could find love like that. Trust was one thing definitely hard earned. She watched as Badgerpaw postured to impose his presence after another highblood guard walked by. She shook her head, thinking to herself "Rules are rules, such a pity that young Layla wasn't a guard apprentice." Shaking out her fur, she personally wondered where her brother had gone off to. Last she had seen him, he had bowed to her before heading off to the hunting grounds.