♔ 𝑑𝑦𝑛𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑛 ♔ [ᴏᴘᴇɴ & ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛɪɴɢ]

[Maplejay]

Bamburgh Castle by Tim Gorman, on Flickr


〈 𝑑𝑦𝑛𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑛 〉
___________________

the clan's leadership had been passed down the royal line for as long as any cat could remember . . . until now.

although saddened by her father's premature death, velvetstar proudly received her nine lives [with only mixed responses from the royals of starclan]. the clan assumed her brother, larkwhisper, would be chosen as the new deputy since he was the only member of the 'royal' line left in good health. shockingly, velvetstar broke the unspoken rule of choosing a cat related to her by blood as the new deputy, and her younger brother, larkwhisper, is furious. velvetstar made the decision to appoint a non-royal deputy because although she would be breaking tradition, she knew her brother was not the best choice to lead alongside her.. and, she knew he wouldn't agree with her plans for the clan's future. the clan is shocked - some angered at velvetstar, some untrusting of the new deputy (wolfshadow), and some in agreement that larkwhisper didn't deserve the deputy position. some worry what lengths larkwhisper's anger will push him to. meanwhile, velvetstar is making some other notable changes including increasing the difficulty of apprenticeship training and testing the skills of the warriors by making them brawl. she wants dynastyclan to be the strongest, fiercest warriors ever heard of - no exceptions.

will peace ever be restored?
only time will tell.

___________________

forms/rules/ooc goes to discussion thread
[this clan has normal ranks & rules as other clans, it was just tradition to pass down being a deputy to the royal bloodline]

[Maplejay]

Gemäuer in den Bergen by Raymond Zoller, on Flickr

𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑝
dynastyclan inhabits the ruins of a castle perched atop a rocky hill.
the castle is very old, constructed of stone and covered with growing moss,
vines, and other plants. their camp is in the center of the ruins, a clearing
surrounded by stone walls and a few structures. the leaders den is at the top
one of the last remaining structures, a watchtower, lead up to be enclosed
stone stairs. the medicine cat den is in a cave created by collapsed stones,
the entrance is covered by vines and flowers. the warriors den is the mostly
collapsed structure of an old, small room. plants fill in some of the gaps in
the wall. apprentice den is dugout beneath a large slab of stone. the
nursery and elders dens are dugouts beneath a large, natural boulder with moss.

𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦
besides the castle ruins, dynastyclan territory consists of open, grassy moor.
they have a wide but shallow stream at the bottom of the castle hill. they hunt
rabbits, birds, and small rodents. occasionally they fish, but not often.
their predators are birds of prey [eagles, hawks, falcons] and foxes mainly.
the tallest hill is at the edge of their territory and it has a single watchtower
at the top, separate from the ruins of the castle. this is where cats meet with
starclan. the watchtower has no roof, allowing moonlight to enter and illuminate
the water in the "shimmer stone" at the top. [the shimmer stone is a golden cup,
it is always full of water, presumably from rainfall, but it stays miraculously clean.]

[Maplejay]

𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑠

cat name / ♀♂ / user

LEADER: velvetstar / ♀ / maplejay

DEPUTY: wolfshadow / ♀ / wildsight,,

MEDICINE CAT: stormwatcher / ♂ / rhythm
MEDICINE CAT APPRENTICE: sagepaw / ♀ / blakebelladona

WARRIORS (14/--) :
larkwhisper / ♂ / maplejay
owlfrost / ♀ / razzberry
bramblingfall / ♂ / razzberry
featherthroat / ♀ / A m n e s i a
dawnpounce / ♀ / Yuroshi
duskstrike / ♀ / Yuroshi
cloudbelly / ♂ / rhythm
warblersnow / ♂ / wildsight,,
goldentail / ♀ / hopper
cosmicdream / ♀ / Sunsmoke
patchpelt / ♂ / ground zero
honeystep / ♀ / Thunder Point
kestreltail / ♀ / ground zero.
hawkclaw / ♀ / ground zero.
open

APPRENTICES (5/8):
ripplepaw / ♀ / A m n e s i a
rosepaw / ♂ / wildsight,,
lightpaw / ♂ / leaves
riverpaw / ♀ / hakuna matata;;
silverpaw / ♂ / ground zero.
open

QUEENS & KITS:
dovebelly / ♀ / maplejay
- slowkit / ♂ / Yuroshi
- darkkit / ♂ / A m n e s i a
- swankit / ♀ / rhythm
- tawnykit / ♀ / wildsight,,
sparrowkit / ♂ / hakuna matata;;

ELDERS:
twilighthaze / ♀ / maplejay
dunnockfang / ♂ / razzberry

LONERS/ROGUES:
open

𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝𝑠

------
key:
♥ mates
♡ has a one-sided crush on
♡♡ crushing on each other
➳ mentor/apprentice
= mother/father of
♦ siblings
☠ enemies
------

dunnockfang = bramblingfall, owlfrost
twilighthaze = velvetstar, larkwhisper
dovebelly = slowkit, darkkit, swankit, tawnykit

velvetstar ♦☠ larkwhisper
owlfrost ♦ bramblingfall
dawnpunce ♦ duskstrike
dawnkit, darkkit ♦ swankit, tawnykit
patchpelt ♦ hawkclaw, kestreltail

dovebelly ♡ kestreltail
riverpaw ♡♡ silverpaw
sparrowkit ♡ swankit
larkwhisper ♡♡ cloudbelly

stormwatcher ➳ sagepaw
owlfrost ➳ ripplepaw
cloudbelly ➳ rosepaw
dawnpounce ➳ lightpaw
velvetstar ➳ riverpaw
featherthroat ➳ silverpaw

[Maplejay]

𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑢𝑝𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠

- it's the day after the deputy ceremony
- most cats are going about normal duties
- in the evening velvetsar will announce her & wolfshadow's changes

season/weather:
- it's the end of green-leaf, temperatures are starting to cool down
- it's sunny and warm, with a slight breeze

[Maplejay]

𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑔𝑜 . . .

the clan was gathered at the base of the watchtower. velvetstar, had called a clan meeting - it was time for the appointment of a new deputy before she traveled to the edge of the territory to receive her nine lives. oakstar, dynastyclan's leader, had died suddenly in a tragic accident the previous day. a mix of heaviness and anticipation hung over the clan as velvetstar appeared in the window of the watchtower, gazing down at dynastyclan. below, among the clan members, sat larkwhisper next to twilighthaze (velvetstorm and larkwhisper's mother). the young tom's posture was erect, his chest was puffed, and he was ready. ready to be named the deputy of dynastyclan by his big sister. since the founding of dynastyclan many moons ago, it had been tradition to pass on leadership to the bloodline originating at the founding cat. there was no reason to think velvetstorm would change this now, overlooking her brother.

"cats of dynastyclan." the powerful she-cat began, not a waver of uncertainty in her voice. "i say these words before starclan so that the spirits of our ancestors, including my father oakstar, may approve of my choice. my beloved father's death was a tragedy. with that being said, this clan has softened over many moons.. this is not acceptable. the new deputy of dynastyclan is wolfshadow. i trust she will aid me in making some.. revisions."

a few gasps rang out in the crowd of dynastyclan cats. heat flooded into larkwhisper's face.

"what?!" he snarled furiously, jumping to his paws. "velvetstorm, how can this be?! how could you turn your back on the tradition? how could you turn your back on me?" the lanky tom said, quickly making his way to the exit of the watchtower where velvetstar appeared after dismissing the clan. velvetstar flattened her ears in warning, he was too emotional and unpredictable for her liking.

"things change, brother. the sooner you get accept that, the better off you'll be." the leader replied. "come, stormwatcher, it's time we travel to the Shimmer Stone." and just like that, velvetstar and the medicine cat disappeared into the night, traveling to the sacred watchtower so velvetstar could acquire her nine lives. the clan was in shock.

𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑎𝑦

﹙♔﹚－－ 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟
she-cat / leader / pastel calico with green eyes / hetero / tags: open

it was the late morning, the night after receiving her nine lives and appointing wolfshadow as deputy. velvetstar had been curled up in a comfy bed of grass at the top of the watchtower, taking a much needed nap after a long 24 hours. she woke up thinking about her father, who had given her the ninth life and advised her to be compassionate when she was sharing tongues with starclan. of course she wanted her father to be proud, but that wasn't going to stop her from transforming dynastyclan into an army of powerful cats. when she saw the cats of starclan, her ancestors, some of them had scolded her, while some were in admiration of her breaking the tradition.

she gave her long fur a few licks before rising to her paws, trotting down the cold stone stairs of the watchtower and into the center of camp. she knew her brother was deeply upset, as were some of the clan members. but she had a vision for dynastyclan, and she needed strong, ambitious cats. the cats didn't have to understand her motives but she wanted respect, at least. she scented the air, noticing larkwhisper's scent was faint. her pale green eyes scanned the clearing for her deputy, searching for the dark-pelted she-cat. they had much to discuss.


﹙☼﹚－－ 𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟
tom / warrior / tall pale ginger tabby with yellow-green eyes / bisexual / tags: open

the last 24 hours had been a whirlwind of emotions. from the passing of his father to the complete redirection of the course of larkwhisper's life, the tom was... overwhelmed. he had gotten no sleep during the night. after the deputy ceremony and his brief confrontation with velvetstar, the ginger tom left the ruins of camp and dove into the moor, full of emotion. he was angry, in mourning, vengeful, irrational. how could she do this to me? larkwhisper's stomach hurt from how betrayed he felt. it had been hours, though. he knew his sister was most likely back from receiving her nine lives, and he should return to camp. life had to go on, even larkwhisper knew that. the tom breathed in the fresh, sweet air of the moor one last time before rising to his paws and trekking up the hill, back to the castle ruins they called camp. he did his best to look confident and unbothered, but most cats could tell he was embarrassed and angry as he climbed over the old stones and re-entered camp.



﹙✬﹚－－ 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑧𝑒
she-cat / elder / fluffy grey she-cat with pale yellow eyes / hetero / tags: open

twilighthaze wasn't exactly surprised of velvetstar's choice. she wasn't mad about it, either. the elder had always seen velvetstar's potential as a leader, and she even agreed that the clan was.. weaker.. than it used to be. she was deeply heartbroken over the loss of oakstar, however, and was much more keen on thinking about him and the life they shared together than the politics of dynastyclan. she had been basking in the sun on the boulder above the elders den when the slight breeze carried the scent of her son, larkwhisper, towards her. twilighthaze was newly blind, and still getting used to having to rely on her other senses. she hoped the tom didn't approach her seeking comfort. she couldn't give any. from twilighthaze's perspective, this did not involve her.


﹙❇﹚－－ 𝑑𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑦
she-cat / queen / slim white she-cat with blue eyes / bisexual / tags: open

"revisions? what did she mean by revisions?" the white she-cat pondered out-loud, laying outside the nursery and watching her kittens nearby. she was anxious, it was obvious. the loss of oakstar was deeply saddening to dovebelly. he had been a good friend of hers, and a kind leader. she would be lying if she said velvetstar didn't worry her. especially with the kits almost ready to be apprentices. what did velvetstar mean by revisions? her tail lashed with anxiety. dovebelly just wanted what was best for her beautiful kits.

[A m n e s i a]

RipplePaw
She-Cat/8 moons/Apprentice/Mentor;; OwlFrost/Tags: n/a

RipplePaw felt indifferent about the events that had taken place a day ago. She hadn’t known much about the tradition and the change didn’t affect her as far as she knew. She let out a soft yawn and stretched her long legs. Of course, if these revisions do affect her day to day life as an apprentice, she will start to doubt Velvetstars choice.

FeatherThroat
She-Cat/26 moons/Warrior/Tags: n/a

FeatherThroat wasn’t sure how to feel about the event that took place especially because of the way Larkwhisper had lashed out when velvetstar chose the new deputy. She felt sympathetic towards him as he had no control of the sudden change his destiny had taken but she also could understand the logic behind breaking from tradition. She shook her head deciding that all she could do was continue on with her warrior duties and watch the result of Velvetstars decision unfold.

DarkKit

Tom/a few moons/Kit/Tags: DoveBelly

DarkKit couldn’t care less about the destruction of the tradition since he was too young to understand the situation. He was, however, confused about how some cats seemed upset about Velvetstars decision. He glanced over at his mom, DoveBelly, curious to see how she was feeling about what happened. He noticed her tail lashing about and he wondered if that meant Velvetstars decision wasn’t the smartest choice.

[Yuroshi]

Slowkit
Tom - Few Moons - Kit - Mischievous - Darkkit/Dovebelly

Slowkit stared unblinkingly at his mother for a moment as she spoke, hearing the concern in her voice, before deciding that.... well, who cares. Slowly, he shifted his head to his sibling. Upon seeing his attention focused on his mother’s tail, and recognizing the look on his face to mean something like “I’m busy thinking,” Slowkit immediately leaned over to bump against his brother and fix the situation. Quietly, he whispered to him something that roughly translated to, “I think that mom needs to calm down, don’t you? Maybe she can play with us.... look! Her tail is a scary snake, snuck into our home! You’re a brave Warrior right? Go get it!”
Hope danced in his eyes as he waited to see if his brother would take the bait. Who doesn’t love games?

Duskstrike
Molly - 20 Moons - Warrior - Conflicted but Calm - Dawnpounce/Velvetstar/Larkwhisper

Duskstrike woke to the familiar sound of her sister... and a rather strong poke to the nose, immediately jumping to her paws. She favored the other with a toothy grin as she stretched out, before leading the way out of the den, never once questioning the presence of her sister behind her. Velvetstar’s decision... well, Duskstrike didn’t agree with it for one main reason, and that- it was simply this. Family First. She couldn’t quite comprehend how the molly could do that to her brother without even a warming beforehand... still, she recognized their new leader’s worth, and so bobbed her head in a quick and respectful nod before making her way over towards Larkwhisper, joining him as he walked in behind him on his right. She gently tapped his shoulder with her tail before giving him a determined smile. Their leader wouldn’t see it as an act of betrayal- if she noticed them doing this for the sad tom, then she would’ve certainly noticed the respectful nod, right?

Dawnpounce
Molly - 20 Moons - Warrior - Conflicted but Calm - Duskstrike/Velvetstar/Larkwhisper

Dawnpounce uncurled from the long-legged pile that was her and her sister as she heard movement outside of the warrior’s den, blinking open her large green eyes before poking her snoozing sister gently on the nose. “Wake up silly,” she giggled, highly amused as her sister jumped immediately to her paws. They’d conversed last night about Velvetstar’s decisions, and... well, really, there were good and bad parts. Dawnpounce knew she would follow her leaders orders unquestioningly, though, as long as she remained good to her sister. Still... as she followed her sister out of the den, she bobbed her head in sync as a respectful nod to their leader, before following Duskstrike. Taking her place slightly behind Larkwhisper on the left, she offered him a gentle smile, joining her sister in her silent support of the dejected tom.

[ʜᴏᴘᴘᴇʀ]

𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟
Thirty-One Moons | Molly | Warrior | Located: Camp

Goldentail sat in the center of camp, grooming her light ginger fur. Her mind was still racing from the events of the previous day. So much had changed in such a short time. They had a new leader, tradition had been broken, relations had been tested, and it seemed the whole clan was at ease. The very foundations of their lives had been shaken. Goldentail honestly wasn’t sure what she felt about the whole matter. She respected Velvetstar but...breaking tradition? With no warning whatsoever? It bothered the molly deeply. She wanted to trust Velvetstar’s decision but couldn’t bring herself to do so.

[harbinger]

xxxxxxxxxx❖ ───── | 𝑪𝑳𝑶𝑼𝑫𝑩𝑬𝑳𝑳𝒀 |
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx[ tom | thirty m | warrior | in camp | tagged: lark (mention), open ]

xxxxx"...this clan has softened..."

xxxxxsoftened. the words from yesterday kept playing over and over in his head. cloudbelly was currently stretched out outside of the warriors' den, soaking up sunlight as he contemplated what had happened. he was surprisingly unfazed by velvetstar's decision to break tradition; he thought that she should do what was best for dynastyclan, and if that meant electing wolfshadow as her deputy, then so be it. what concerned cloudbelly was whether or not that was what was best for dynastyclan. the way velvetstar had talked about them, and her plans... a light shiver ran through him, and he grimaced. revisions. what did that mean?

xxxxxand then, of course, there was larkwhisper. cloudbelly's heart ached for him; he couldn't even imagine what must be going through the other tom's head. he'd had his entire life planned out ahead of him, clear as day... and, just like that, it had all gone away. his world had been shattered. it was no wonder cloudbelly hadn't seen him since the ceremony. if it were him, he'd probably stay out of camp for a while, too.

xxxxxas if on cue, cloudbelly noticed movement by the front of the camp, and the heartbroken tom in question walked back into the castle. cloudbelly stood up, thinking he'd go to greet him and show his support, but before he could take more than a few steps in larkwhisper's direction, duskstrike and dawnpounce were already at his side. cloudbelly sat back down, not wanting to overwhelm the ginger tom, but made sure to wear an encouraging smile in case larkwhisper looked his way. it was probably for the best that he hold off for the time being, anyway. larkwhisper was likely still too upset to be receptive to cloudbelly's efforts, and he hadn't really even thought about what he'd say to larkwhisper, either. it was in cloudbelly's nature to try to comfort others, but this... this was a bit of a daunting task. nothing had ever split the entire clan like this before.

xxxxxxxxxx❖ ───── | 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑹 |
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx[ tom | forty-six m | medicine cat | in camp | tagged: twilight ]

xxxxxdrip, drip, drip...

xxxxxstormwatcher stared aimlessly at the wall of the medicine cat den, watching drop after drop of water fall from one of the looser stones, where moisture often got trapped. the methodical tapping sound of each one impacting the floor gave him something real to focus on, as his mind was otherwise anywhere but present. stormwatcher's yellow gaze, usually fiercely bright, was dull and clouded over, betraying how troubled the recent events had made him. he hadn't slept since visiting the shimmer stone with velvetstar, and frankly, he didn't know when that would change, either.

xxxxxpart of him thought that he should have seen this coming. velvetstar was ambitious, with a crystal clear vision for the clan. why, then, was it so shocking that larkwhisper had not been a part of that vision? stormwatcher flicked his tail idly, frowning. he liked wolfshadow; she had the same stern, no-nonsense approach to work that stormwatcher himself took great pride in. that wasn't the problem. he simply believed more in the inherent strength of tradition. it unified the clan, and kept them all on the same page; interrupting the flow and expectations laid by cats from the last thousand moons would have consequences. he'd already seen divisions fracturing the clan, and it had only been a few hours; stormwatcher could only hope that they would overcome this sooner rather than later.

xxxxxstill, time would not stop for him to stay lost in his thoughts. there was always more work to do. stormwatcher shook his head and pushed himself to his paws, before heading towards curtain of vines that marked the entrance to his and sagepaw's den. once outside, he took note of all the cats currently out and about. not seeing sagepaw among them yet, his eyes settled instead on the boulder above the elders' den. his apprentice could find him when she got up; stormwatcher would use the extra time to check on twilighthaze instead. the loss of a loved one could be debilitating, and she'd recently lost her vision on top of that, so stormwatcher just wanted to check in. he made his way to the top of the boulder, dipping his head in greeting to the elder, and immediately felt foolish as he remembered she couldn't see him. "morning, twilighthaze," he said. "how're you holding up?"

xxxxxxxxxx❖ ───── | 𝑺𝑾𝑨𝑵𝑲𝑰𝑻 |
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx[ molly | kit | in camp | tagged: slow, dark ]

xxxxxthe last day had been very strange. swankit didn't fully understand everything that had happened—all she knew was that oakstar was gone, and velvetstar was the leader now, and last night, a lot of cats had started yelling at the meeting. why they all seemed so upset, she didn't really know. wolfshadow was a little intimidating, but she seemed like a great warrior! and great warriors should be made deputy... right?

xxxxxswankit shrugged to herself, before looking around for her brothers. she saw them sitting together nearby and bounded over to them, just in time to hear slowkit's words. she bit back a giggle, immediately tuning into what he was trying to do. "yeah, darkkit!" she urged, dropping into a playful crouch and swaying her haunches, as if about to pounce. "let's go!"

[Maplejay]

[waiting on another velvetstar post until after wolfshadow posts~]



﹙☼﹚－－ 𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟
tom / warrior / tall pale ginger tabby with yellow-green eyes / bisexual / tags: dawnpounce, duskstrike, cloudbelly

larkwhisper's heart ached as he entered camp. nothing felt the same. everything had changed so suddenly. he was deep in thought when he was surrounded by the two young warriors, dawnpounce and dustrike. he straightened up, doing his best to look confident, unfazed. he dipped his head to duskstrike's tail tap. he knew the two sisters had good intentions, but the warmth of embarrassment flooded over him. the idea of cats pitying him really bothered him, but at the same time he knew he would pity a cat in his position too. the tall tom took a deep breath as he made his way to the outskirts of camp, making eye contact with cloudbelly as he sat down against a stone wall. he knew cloudbelly meant well too, but he broke their eye contact quickly, insecure from the amount of gazes on him.

how will i recover from this? the pale ginger tabby thought to himself, staring downwards at his paws, deep in thought and sullen. i had everything planned out. i was going to be deputy. i was going to be the leader someday. now, what am i? larkwhisper took a deep breath, licking his chest fur awkwardly. he pondered what to do. sitting in camp felt odd.



﹙✬﹚－－ 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑧𝑒
she-cat / elder / fluffy grey she-cat with pale yellow eyes / hetero / tags: stormwatcher

the grey she-cat heard stormwatcher approaching, though she sat still and unresponsive. her ears swiveled in the medicine cat's direction. twilighthaze took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of the sun soaking through her dark pelt. upon hearing the medicine cat's question, she took a moment to form a response. it took self restraint to not reply in a crude way. how does he think i'm doing? twilighthaze thought, though she knew stormwatcher was just being responsible, and she did appreciate mild forms of attention.

"you know, stormwatcher, i've been better." she said simply, admitting the obvious as she turned her pale gaze in his direction. "the world works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?" the elder murmured, her tone becoming a bit more serious. it was hard to detect what she was referring to exactly- the loss of her mate and her sight, or maybe the choice of her daughter, velvetstar, to break the tradition.


﹙❇﹚－－ 𝑑𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑦
she-cat / queen / slim white she-cat with blue eyes / bisexual / tags: her kits

dovebelly blinked out of her thoughts, realizing from slowkit that the kits were picking up on her emotions. she quickly changed her demeanor, trying to appear positive. "you're going to grow up to be the best warriors." the white she-cat purred, her tail twitching back and forth as she watched the kits lovingly. she knew it shouldn't be her kits' jobs to calm her down, but she sure did appreciate them.