➤ Ｅ Ｖ Ｉ Ｃ Ｔ Ｅ Ｄ ||《warriors rp》-- open!

[ataraxic_gone]

Ｂ Ｅ Ｅ Ｔ Ｌ Ｅ Ｓ Ｔ Ａ Ｒ

There was no resilience to VanillaStar's taking of the reigns, this was his 'camp' after all. They could take small steps in this cordial arrangement and as VanillaStar leapt onto what BeetleStar recognised as a garbage dump, his mother had told him about them and their purpose and in the back of his head a smug humour rose in his mind. 'Of course you'd want to place yourself with crow food where you belong,' it wasn't the time to say such a thing so he kept it to himself and hoped upwards, turning in time to glance towards his people as VanillaStar mentioned his clan. He sat down, tail curled around his paws as he let VanillaStar listen to the sound of his own voice. He nodded passively to what the leader was saying, showing his agreement. As VanillaStar signed off BeetleStar chipped in, "This is for our collective best, medicine cats, deputies and leaders will work together as should you. We should not allow our own selfish desires to dictate the survival of our apprentices, our queens and those who have not yet come to be. We lead by example today, our chance at proving ourselves as heroes of a story that has yet to be told, stay strong we will get through this. Remember to follow your gut."
He took a moment from the perch to watch his problem cats, eyeing them tentatively before leaping down to follow VanillaStar. He looked at the tom begin to settle down and for a brief moment he considered the romantic thought of biting into his rival's throat and giving it his best go at killing him. It was a terrible thought, one he would never follow through on. There was no honour in killing that way and he hoped that sentiment was mutual. Should it come to the worst he'd hope that they could agree to a fair fight to the death. He let out a low chuckle and curled up a few tail lengths away from the other leader, head tilting at his deputy and medicine cats, asking them to join him. After waiting a moment her lowered his head and let sleep take him.
☆═━[ name beetlestar gender male age 42 moons rank mc leader tags loonfrost, snaketail, vanillastar ]

[purpleglitter]

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Ｗｉｌｌｏｗｐｅｌｔ

[ female ] [ 40 moons ] [ maple medicine cat ] [ location; alley ] [ tags; owlpaw, flutterbreeze ]

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The older molly turned again to the younger medicine cat, listening to her timid suggestion. True, she felt a bit of annoyance at times for the more cowardly and shy molly, but perhaps this would be a chance for them to strengthen their relationship. The trio of medicine cats and apprentice had to stick together after all and it would do well for Willowpelt to be more patient with the two younger ones, for they lacked the courage she came across naturally. That's what she'd do then, she'd teach both of them more and try to instill bravery and courage into them, or at least as much as she possibly could. Their natures wouldn't truly change she knew, but they could at least have enough for when their need for it was most dire. "You're right Flutterbreeze, I will work on more combat skills with you as well. There is much still I can teach you both, and perhaps something you can teach me as well" she said with a soft smile to both her fellow cats.

Her attention was torn away as the meeting finally concluded and they were called in to an official introduction before dismissal for the night. She rolled her eyes a bit at Vanillastar's babbling, not entirely surprised and which cats were chosen for patrol though a bit agitated that he picked a medicine cat to go along as well. It would have been much better for the two clan medicine cats and apprentices to discuss herb storage and plans together, but they'd have to make due with the remaining medicine cats of Heathclan until Bonewing returned with the patrol. Nodding at Beetlestar's words and invitation to join him as he settled for the night, Willowpelt padded up and curled up a few tail lengths away to settle and catch some much needed sleep. Understanding Flutterbreeze's need for privacy, she instead turned to Owlpaw and invited the young tom to curl up with her.

After a few fitful moments of trying to rest her wandering mind, she drifted off to sleep at last.

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Ｓｏｆｔｐａｗ

[ female ] [ 10 moons ] [ maple apprentice ] [ location; alley ] [ tags; clayfur, adderstrike, basiltoe, stagleap, rookpaw ]

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Softpaw continued to listen to Clayfur's words, feeling comforted as their small group slowly grew to accommodate the cats that joined them. It filled her heart with contentment that even with everything that had happened and with differing opinions about the merge and what it would bring, it was comforting to know that not all of them had taken to isolating themselves and continued to want to work together. It would have been nice to have friends closer to her own age, but the group of older cats and her would suit her just fine.

As they were called to join the Heathclan cats for a meeting, movement at her side caught her attention as the light tabby molly turned her head. As if he had heard her thoughts, Rookpaw had trailed their group and looked to be trying to get her attention. Sliding to the back to still listen to the meeting, Softpaw turned to him with a friendly smile. "Hello there, it's Rookpaw isn't it? I recognize you from the gatherings before" she said softly, giving half her attention to Vanillastar and Beetlestar's announcements and the other half to hopefully her new friend. She was about to speak again when her name along with Clayfur and Stagleap's were called on with a few other cats for a patrol at first light tomorrow. Seeing Clayfur's quiet reaction, she grimaced a bit before turning back to her fellow apprentice. "Sorry, but I've got to go now and get some rest for tomorrow's patrol. But maybe we can meet up after yeah?" she suggested, giving the young tom a friendly smile and a nod goodbye before padding back over to Clayfur and the group to settle for the night. She gave the ginger warrior an encouraging smile before settling between him and Stagleap. "Don't worry Clayfur, you'll have me and Stagleap with you tomorrow. I'm sure Beetlestar approved of his choice and we'll give him nothing to complain about" she said with a soft yawn, her eyes closing and letting herself drift off to sleep in a matter of minutes.

[sinensys]

──────────── ✵✵✵ ＦＯＧＰＡＷ ! ! ────────────
i. mapleclan. ii. 12 moons. iii. panromantic. iv. tagged: open.
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fogpaw listened along as the two leaders negotiated and then when vanillastar spoke up. both leaders could be more humble, but she supposed that they had been chosen to be deputy, after all. maybe they really were supposed to be proud, even if it seemed to others that that pride manifested as arrogance. maybe that was normal, but she was too young to recognise it.

once they finished, she cast her gaze upwards in hopes of seeing starclan. instead, she was met with the swirling darkness, the usually clear skies dusted liberally with ash, the kind from the elders' tale about mountains that exploded into a fire and vomited dust that mummified cats, dogs, twolegs whole, covering them in ash that hardened to be so tough, it was stronger than stone. in those stories, there was a leader who emerged from the mountain, but some part of fogpaw whispered that it was all just a story, and no matter how fascinating it was, it was invented by someone bored to pass the time or by a parent with sad kits, kits with no ambition. she would know, she had been told that story too.

she looked down at her own paws, which were dusted in something nasty as well, much like the sky was. maybe starclan was just as lost as they were. or maybe starclan had died like those who were unfortunate in their maple forests or even in the heath fields, she assumed. the molly didn't know, but she'd have liked to; they were all in the same alley now, and they were all going to die if they didn't move along together.

she closed her eyes and prayed to starclan, begging them to guide them through these terrible circumstances, to spare them the interpersonal conflict that was imminent with the first day of interacting for more than just one night in so many generations. she found a corner on the edge of their mapleclan group and curled. she slept lightly as usual, just thinking about nothing and everything.

──────────── ♖♖♖ ＢＯＮＥＷＩＮＧ ! ! ────────────
i. heathclan. ii. 26 moons. iii. bisexual, male preference. iv. tagged: finchstep.
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bonewing relaxed for a moment upon hearing her actually respond, though on second thought, her anxious speech made bonewing worry: was she genuinely alright or was this going to be another cricketsong issue? he hoped not. poor cricketsong; she survived the decimation of their beloved heath fields and the maple forests as those terrible ambling beasts stomped and snorted - only for her to fall to her own body's weight, the sheer exhaustion pinning her to the ground as she writhed before stilling. it was tragic, but the bitterness in the back of the polydactyl tom's throat was not new. enough had happened to warrant other worries, anxieties, and frustration as starclan's seeming silence. the fate of their clan rested in the maws of the previously luminous skies which now were saturated with noxious gases and dully churned.

maybe they had forsaken starclan and this was their punishment. maybe-

his thoughts were interrupted by the two living clan leaders calling to their attention. it was an announcement, and bonewing was to go with the patrol. at least he had emberfoot and sunpaw. sunpaw. he felt a deep ache and glanced over at the apprentice sitting beside emberfoot, tipping his head to the two before looking back at finchstep. she was just tired, as they all were; she wasn't in danger of collapsing like cricketsong had. bonewing touched her shoulder with the tip of his tail, suggesting that they both get some sleep before stepping away to where they stored their meagre medical supplies and curled up, trying to block out the stench of twolegs with his tail. his rest was fitful, filled with the smell of lavender and the sounds of dogs snarling, frothing at the mouth as they sought their next pathetic victim.

────────── ⚔⚔⚔ ＡＤＤＥＲＳＴＲＩＫＥ ! ! ──────────
i. mapleclan. ii. 34 moons. iii. pansexual. iv. tagged: softpaw & group.
───────────────────────────────────────────

adderstrike whipped around as the heathclan leader spoke up, eyes narrowing and tail beginning to thrash. what had that mange-ridden flea bag conspired now, now that mapleclan was here? he trusted beetlestar to do what he could, but he knew - he knew that those crafty heathclan cats would strike if given the chance. he just knew. that was the way they behaved as he had seen countless times: in meetings, when patrol groups stumbled on one another across the border, and when they clashed and battled, to name a few. and it was enough! he had seen enough to know that they were terrible creatures, dishonourable and traitorous, willing to attack the moment you turned your back. they were tricksters, and they simply could not be trusted.

his stomach churned at vanillastar's haughty tone and diction, especially at the part where fights would not be allowed. yeah, i bet you wouldn't like someone who opposes you, makes it easier to attack an unsuspecting cat from behind. it was pathetic more than anything that they couldn't handle a physical altercation without having a clear advantage. pitiful, even.

and yet despite it all, he was tired: it had been quite a day, and he didn't have the energy to take on the heathclan cats today. he would later, but for now, he was just drained from his earlier distress. he looked over at clayfur and bid him good luck with tomorrow's event, genuinely sympathetic. it was going to be a rough couple of days, he thought as he fell into a deep but dreamless state.

[ᴇᴜᴛᴏɴʏ]

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𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙
(20 moons - female - medicine
cat - unhappy, skittish -
location: alleyway - tags:
Vanillastar)

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Finchstep awoke feeling refreshed. 'I need to discuss this with Vanillastar'. The thought of having to replay the scenes to Vanillastar sent shivers down her spine and gave her an excruciating head ache. 'I can't avoid this for much longer'. Finchstep stood up and stretched her back before making her way down the alleyway in search of her leader. There were many new faces as she realised that the merge had already happened while she was mid panic attack. She spotted Vanillastar and padded up to him hurriedly feeling somewhat relieved. She stood patiently near him and waited for him to notice her. He would most likely be expecting her.

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𝙲𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚙𝚊𝚠
(9 moons - male - apprentice
- hurt, furious -
location: - alleyway tags:
scorchedpaw, otterpaw)

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Creekapw was glad that his friends understood. He watched them descend the wall. He felt a sudden sting in his heart as they walked away. He knew he shouldn't have shut them out because it was wrong, but he just didn't want to deal with it. After all he had asked them to leave.

Creekpaw must have fallen asleep on the wall because he woke up soon after the sun had risen. He took his time to stretch and wake up before he too made his way down. He found Otterpaw and Scorchedpaw easily and approached them with a much happier atmosphere. "Sleep well, because I didn't. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable that wall is?" he chuckled ever so slightly. He could that they were tired like him and he only wanted to make up for yesterday. "I'm sorry I wasn't really interested in talking last night. I was just.. Things got pretty heated and I don't have an excuse. I could see that I hurt you two and I'm sorry. That was never my intention. Am I forgiven?" he looked at them seriously now. He knew what he did and he had no proper excuse other than he just didn't want to deal with it, but he was too embarrassed to mention that.
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𝚂𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕
(31 moon - male - deputy -
bored, curious -
location: alleyway - tags:
Loonfrost)

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Snaketail watched Beetlestar separate from the small group and head off to find somewhere comfortable. He flicked his ears in response at his leaders request. The tom was about to join his leader when Loonfrost spoke. She was thanking him. But what for? Snaketail hadn't ever really paid much notice to the she-cat but on closer inspection came to realise that she was rather pretty. These thoughts were rare for Snaketail and he brushed them off almost instantly. He stood silently for a minute thinking over her question. Snaketail was not the one to make decisions on behalf of the clan and had always just agreed with Beetlestar. He took his time to think it over and in the end it was simple. "There are many benefits that will come of the merge until both clans are back up on their feet again. All cats are free to their own opinion about it, but as of now they will have to get over it and move on". He paused before speaking again. "I am in no position to question Beetlestar's actions. He decides and I agree." With those last words he dismissed himself and padded over to sit beside his leader.

[dreaming.]

▬▬▬(ＶＡＮＩＬＬＡＳＴＡＲ)
(( forty-five moons • tom • h. leader • the alleyway • tagged;; finchstep ((m;; the council))

Dry heat sunk low into the alleyway, elevating the stink of rotting things. All evidence of water had evaporated along with the clouds. Nothing stood contest to the blazing sun. It scorched the concreate and burned the fur of any animal who dare stray into its rays. There was no doubt that the weaker trees will become withered in such a state. “There won’t be rain for days to come.” Vanillastar thought. It was to be expected. The hot weather was nothing new to the clans. The on and off again rain to days of desert conditions were just the changing of Newleaf to Greenleaf. However, the hotness the ground refused to release and the lack of shady places was concerning. Burnt paws and heatstroke was adding on to the plentiful plate of misfortune they had already been force fed. Vanillastar slowly blinked his eyes closes, dipping his head as he awaited others to rise. It was barely sunhigh (despite the unwavering heat) so he knew cats would start to jostle about soon. His relaxation before the day’s duties were cut short by a new presence. For a moment, he was surprised. Had the patrol already gathered and come to attention? He hadn’t even checked if the rest of the new council was fully awake or just coming out of their sleepy state as he was. “Ah, Finchstep,” Vanillastar said. The patrol hadn’t gathered yet then. “Are you feeling any better?” He knew Finchstep hadn’t come for niceties. It was easy to tell she wished to speak on something. He glanced over to where Beetlestar and Snaketail laid, only a tail length from him. Perhaps he should wake them for this? No, he decided. If it was important, he’ll relay it to them when they were ready for the morning. He quickly looked around a little more before Finchstep could speak. He wasn’t sure if Loonfrost had moved to go with her son yet or not. He’d have to bring her over if she had.

▬▬▬(ＣＬＡＹＦＵＲ)
(( thirty-six moons • tom • m. warrior • the alleyway • tagged;; softpaw & co

The heat was overbearing. The ground was much too warm and the sun much too bright. It was almost as if his fur was being singed from a vengeful sun. Clayfur woke irritated, just the way he fell asleep. His paws were slick with sweat and his fur covered in new shed. He was quite late to rid himself of his giant winter coat for his skimpier summer one. While he despised how hot he was because of it, he would miss it. He was already smaller than most Heathclan cats and losing his massive coat would make him seem even smaller. He sighed, stretching out his body. He typically loved sunbathing, but then again back home he’d awake in a cold nest. Out here, he was stuck in the sunlight for hour on end. Clayfur sat up, blinking any bleariness away. When he took a look around, it seemed as if most everyone from last night’s huddle had fallen asleep around another. He felt like they were almost a blockade against the Heathclan cats. He prodded Adderstrike in his side gently to see if the other was awake. Clayfur, Stagleap and Softpaw would be leaving for their patrol soon. He didn’t want them to all leave Adderstrike so vulnerable.

▬▬▬(ＳＣＯＲＣＨＥＤＰＡＷ)
(( eight moons• molly • h. apprentice • the alleyway • tagged;; otterpaw & creekpaw ((m;; fogpaw))

A pleasant pressure rested on her side. The apprentice purred in her half-asleep phase. Scorchedpaw wasn’t quite ready to wake. In fact, the small molly was so comfortable with the hot air warming her once chilled fur, she thought about just lazing for the entire day. It was the sound of Creekpaw prodding her with questions that woke her fully. She let out a miirrp of displeasure and rolled on her side. Scorchedpaw moved her paws to scratch at her next but was only met with gravel. She was stunned for a second, heart hammering in her chest before being replaced with embarrassment. How could she have forgotten they were home no longer? She cleared her throat in attempt to pretend she didn’t try adjusting her phantom nest. “Yeah,” she yawned. “I slept fine unlike you. I'm glad it got warmer. I love the heat.” Scorchedpaw glanced over to see Otterpaw resting on her. So that is the source of the nice weight on her. “Not forgiven!” Scorchedpaw threw her head up, a slight smile on her face. She didn’t care much for apologizes. They made her feel awkward but it was nice to know Creekpaw still thought about them and their feelings. Besides, she had forgiven him the moment she fell asleep. “The only thing that will make me alright with you again is…” Scorchedpaw trailed off to look around their new makeshift camp. There were so many new faces. She could spot the face of an apprentice she saw last night. “is if you come exploring to meet new cats!” Scorchedpaw purred in excitement. The molly hoped her friend was in a better mood to go meet others. Scorchedpaw had no experience whatsoever with the other clan. She had never attended a gathering nor a border fight. The most she got was the smell of them and maybe even a glimpse through the maples.

[Birchii]

୪ ＳＴＡＧＬＥＡＰ ;

{thirty-eight moons}▸{tom}▸{mapleclan warrior}▸{alley}▸{Clayfur, Softpaw & co; (mention Vanilla & Beetle}
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xXxXxStagleap listened to Softpaw, nodding gently as he agreed with some of the things she was saying, proud of the strong warrior she was becoming. 'I'm glad she's got a good head on her shoulders, and is open to change and such... it'll make the upcoming moons more bearable,' he silently mused. He was about to speak up when Vanillastar's call cut him off, and he turned to his companions, nodding his head in agreement to Clayfur's motion to enter the alley. "This will be interesting, to say the least," he quietly joked, hoping to continue a light atmosphere between his clanmates. He was aware of the gazes of HeathClan as he entered the alley, but didn't mind. Stagleap intended to be as cooperative as he could during these troubling times. After all, they weren't much different in his eyes. All the cats present followed the warrior code, provided for their clans, and had gone through an irreplacable change just a few days ago.

xXxXxHe listened as Vanillastar addressed both clans, relieved at the joint mission shared between the clans. Stagleap couldn't help but let his gaze flicker around at the mention of no fighting, uncertain whether it would be possible to do or not, given some of the hostility from cats of both clans towards the other. There would be arguments between felines, that was an obvious fact, but actual, physical fighting? He wouldn't put it past felines of either clan. His brows raised in surprise as his name was called for a scouting patrol. Whilst he was grateful for the opportunity to get out into the surrounding areas and try to help their clans find some answers, he felt that the patrol would bring some tensions out. Realising Clayfur's frustrations were returning, he leaned against his friend, hoping to offer some calm reassurance. Once Vanillastar was done, and Beetlestar added his piece - glad that their leader was also in favour of uniting to work towards their common goal - he let a sigh fall from his muzzle.

xXxXxHe smiled to Softpaw as his apprentice rejoined the group, glad she was unafraid to talk with the HeathClan cats, and listened intently to her words of reassurance. "We'll be fine tomorrow," he agreed, his voice displaying his tiredness. "It's better than sitting around here and letting cats get under our fur." A yawn escaped him, and he finally settled down beside Softpaw, curling up in to a ball to keep in the warmth, with sleep greeting him soon after he closed his eyes.

--

xXxXxHeat woke Stagleap as he grumpily opened an eye - if there was one thing the brown tabby tom was not a fan of, it was being woken up early. His limbs ached, a result of sleeping on the rough, twoleg-made floor, but a quick stretch helped to rid some of the morning pains from his legs and paws. Not many felines had awoken yet, so he decided that dozing until he was called over for patrol was the best plan. He promptly shut his eyes and allowed a gentle, dozing sleep to greet him again, not yet ready to face the new day quite yet.

ᛟ ＥＭＢＥＲＦＯＯＴ ;

{twenty-three moons}▸{molly}▸{heathclan warrior}▸{alley}▸{Sunpaw; (mention Vanilla, Beetle, Clay, Soft, Stag, Bone}
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xXxXxEmberfoot sighed, hating that she could cause any worry to Sunpaw, and his amusing display with the leaf was another reminder of how young he was to be going through this. She smiled at him as he promised to avoid Adderstrike, her eyes betraying her tired feeling but still glistening with pride. Her gaze turned to Vanillastar as he addressed all the felines in the alley. From the corner of her eye, she saw as MapleClanners began to enter the alley, but felt little energy to even display any type of irritation at them. 'It's been a long day,' she thought, stifling a yawn as she listened to Vanillastar. 'And so the merge begins.'

xXxXxShe couldn't help but snort with amusement as he forbade fighting, glancing around to just challenge any cat who wanted to call her out on it. 'I can restrain myself from physical fights. Doesn't mean I won't give an earful to any of those tree-loving MapleClan cats if they start,' she mentally told herself, rising her head a little higher. She blinked a few times as Vanillastar said she would be joining a scouting patrol, along with Sunpaw, and gave a gentle, displeased groan. Sure, she wanted to stretch her legs and satiate her curiosity of the surrounding area, and she was more than aware that Sunpaw would want to find any signs of his mother.

xXxXxHowever, she wasn't pleased to being shoved together with a bunch of MapleClan cats. She'd spoken to Stagleap a few times and found him bearable, and knew Softpaw was his apprentice, but wasn't sure what the young molly was like. One feline she did know was Clayfur, and he seemed to have a knack for getting under her fur in an impressively short amount of time at gatherings. This patrol would certainly be interesting, and she imagined that she'd be butting heads and having several disagreements with the ruddy tom. 'Maybe Bonewing will keep us civil,' she silently hoped. She turned her head to try and gauge the MapleClan cats' reactions to the news, and couldn't help but being amused by Clayfur's visible displeasure at the patrol; she wasn't above finding a little joy in a petty way.

xXxXxAfter Vanillastar finished his schpiel - something about reporting to the higher-ranking cats and looking for certain things - she gave a long exhale of her breath. She heard Beetlestar adding to the speech but lacked interest to listen any longer; it would be more of the same sentiment. She could feel the tiredness creeping into her body; her paws ached, her eyes were drooping, and it was an effort to keep the yawns away. Emberfoot turned to Sunpaw as the young tom spoke to her, a small smile working its way onto her face as his yawn betrayed his words expressing his alertness. That same smile widened as he sheepishly asked to spend the night alongside her, and she nodded. "Of course you can, makes it easier to find you for this patrol tomorrow," she meowed, a small grin on her face. The molly padded to the edge of the alley, taking shelter as best as she could, leaving room for her apprentice to also settle down for the night. She waited for Sunpaw to be still and resting before closing her eyes to finally sleep.

---

xXxXxWith a wide yawn and a roll, Emberfoot revelled in the warmth. Despite some cats' dislike for the heat, the ginger molly thoroughly enjoyed it and always took advantage of the hotter seasons when she could. A scowl graced her face as she remembered the patrol, and she sat up, scanning the alley. Felines were beginning to awaken, but she didn't feel quite eager enough to gather the patrol group at the moment, and so decided to have a few moments to herself by grooming her fur.

⇝ ＯＷＬＰＡＷ ;

{ten moons}▸{tom}▸{mapleclan med cat apprentice}▸{alley}▸{Willowpelt, Flutterbreeze; (mention Vanilla & Beetle}
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xXxXxOwlpaw's ears flickered, uncertain at the idea of battle training. After all, he loved his role of medicine cat apprentice mostly due to its more peaceful nature. Fighting was never truly an option for him, but he realised the wisdom in Willowpelt's words. "I'll try. I guess it's useful, since clan cats might not hurt us, but there's no guarantee of who, or what, is living deeper in the city..." He trailed off, a small shudder sweeping across him at the thought of a snarling dog cornering him. His attention snapped to Vanillastar and Beetlestar's speech, eyes wide. The merge had officially begun.

xXxXxTrepidation met the small tom. He was enthusiastic about the progress they were making, and hoped to learn as much as he possibly could from both clans' medicine cats. However, a small seed of nerves still resided in him, caused by the unknown that they were facing. Flutterbreeze's goodnight wishes pulled him from his musings, and his smiled to the older molly. He turned to Willowpelt, drowziness slowly creeping in like a morning fog as he followed his mentor towards Beetlestar, herbs safely kept in his mouth until he could gently place them down beside his sleeping spot. He happily sprawled out beside Willowpelt, the herbs safely and securely to the side of him where they could be quickly accessed if required. "Goodnight, Willowpelt," he yawned, before letting sleep overcome him.

--

xXxXx(Sleeping now until Willowpelt wakes him)

♆ ＯＴＴＥＲＰＡＷ ;

{eleven moons}▸{molly}▸{heathclan apprentice}▸{alley}▸{Creekpaw, Scorchedpaw; (mention Vanilla & Beetle)}
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xXxXxOtterpaw lifted her head as her leader began to speak, watching the MapleClan cats filter into the alley. She could sense Scorchedpaw's mind was elsewhere, as Vanillastar's words didn't grasp her attention, but given the stressful few days they had experienced combined with Creekpaw's need for space, she didn't try to nudge her friend into listening. Instead, she listened carefully to his words. Disappointment met her as she wasn't selected for patrol, glancing at Sunpaw instead with a small chip of jealousy, but swiftly dismissed it. 'If I was going on patrol, I'd want Scorchedpaw and Creekpaw there, too...' she thought with a small sigh. Once Vanillastar and Beetlestar finished their speeches, she lowered her head and nuzzled into Scorchedpaw's side, glad for the comfort and company of a friend. It took a while for sleep to come to her, the dripping of water somewhere behind her a distraction, but she soon fell into a light sleep.

--

xXxXxShe was awoken by Creekpaw's sudden voice, and the warmth of the new day greeted her. She opened her green eyes slowly, sprawling out her legs to stretch away the sleep. "Good morning to both of you too," She meowed, sticking her tongue out to her friends. "Honestly I was too tired to care about how comfortable this place is, but I doooo know that the perk to this gravelly, twoleg ground is that it's basically a giant sunning rock." The brown tabby molly rolled on to her back, pretending to sunbathe with a grin on her face, before flopping back over. Despite Scorchedpaw's 'lack' of accepting Creekpaw's apology, she offered a smile to Creekpaw. "I forgive you, you soft furball," she teased, pawing at her long-furred friend, glancing back at Scorchedpaw to see the expression of plotting something upon her face. Upon her suggestion for talking with new felines, she nodded heartily in agreement. "Agreed!"

[chaotic creativity]

b a s i l t o e
molly ;; twenty-three moons ;; mapleclan warrior ;; outside heathclan alley ;; tagged - clayfur, adderstrike
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basiltoe lifted her head slowly, narrowing her eyes against the rising sun, as she felt the cats around her begin to stir. her jaws parted in a wide yawn before her fur bristled and her claws tried to dig into the harsh ground underpaw. 'where am i?' she screamed in her head before remembering the fateful events of yesterday. she watched as clayfur stood and prodded adderstrike. basiltoe groaned when she realized the cat would be going on a patrol, along with softpaw and stagleap, and she wasn't ready to face the new day alone. basiltoe stretched her limbs out a bit too quickly and sorely walked over to the two toms. "do i have to mingle with the heathclan cats? i'm not sure that i'm ready to," she mumbled, feeling her never-ending well of hope seep farther away from her grasp. she desperately wanted to welcome the merge with open arms, but she just couldn't. she shuddered before blinking the sleep from her eyes.

l o o n f r o s t
molly ;; forty-two moons ;; heathclan deputy ;; heathclan alley ;; tagged - vanillastar, finchstep, mentions snaketail
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loonfrost watched as snaketail walked away, confused. she just wanted his opinion, not the answer she gave him. his remark on standing by beetlestar made her mind spin, and she blinked away her confusion. she just wanted to be friends, as she would probably be seeing him much more often now that the merge was complete. she swished her tail unhappily, casting a glance sadly across the camp one last time as she realized just how handsome the tom was.

- - -

the she-cat lifted her head as she felt the sun's hot rays caressing her back. she yawned, her jaw popping as it stretched open. "ow," she mumbled, running her tail along her jaw where the pop had made it sore. she turned her head and felt rookpaw twist and look up at her. she smiled down at her son, happy he was okay and currently not depressed about laving the only home they'd known behind. she spotted her leader talking to finchstep, the medicine cat, and loonfrost decided she should be there. after all, she was part of the council and also from vanillastar's own clan, as she was his deputy. she bid rookpaw a fond farewell, pressing her nose to his ear, and then trotted over to sit silently behind vanillastar. she didn't say a word, she just sat there and waited for finchstep or vanillastar to fill her in or tell her she wasn't needed.

r o o k p a w
tom ;; nine moons ;; heathclan apprentice ;; heathclan alley ;; tagged - open
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rookpaw watched as his mother trotted away, and he then turned his gaze to the camp. he spotted softpaw sleeping, but decided not to bother her as she was going out on that patrol. he then turned and began grooming his ruffled pelt, hoping an apprentice or somebody would strike up a conversation with him. he didn't hold out much hope, though, as many cats were either still asleep or just now waking.

[sinensys]

──────────── ✵✵✵ ＦＯＧＰＡＷ ! ! ────────────
i. mapleclan. ii. 12 moons. iii. panromantic. iv. tagged: open.
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fogpaw slept lightly, shifting only occasionally when the ground became too rough. there was something strange about sleeping on the hard stuff that the twolegs adored, it seemed. it felt like it was many, many tiny pebbles smashed together to create something that resembled a rock from afar, but up close was too rough and sharp to be either. whatever it was, it was incredibly uncomfortable, but the molly still tried to sleep. the next day was going to be wild, she knew it - the clans were merging, and the first patrol ever would head out. she prayed to starclan that they go without conflict, both on this day and all the others they would have to be together. she also prayed for her own endurance and for her emotional stability: there was going to be a lot of emotional turmoil around her, whether the stressor be a lack of food or simply the other clan's proximity.

once she felt the heat begin and the ground began to emit a haze, she awoke from her sunny corner. her long fur, meant to shield her from the pinching cold of bareleaf, was a nuisance, and she retreated to a less occupied area along one of the walls of the alleyway where she would be hidden from the ray's direct assault. this put her closer to the heathclan cats, but the molly assumed that no one would be too bothered by the fairly thin mapleclan apprentice, if they even noticed her. she simply watched as the other cats began to rise, but she found herself slowly drifting off to sleep again.

──────────── ♖♖♖ ＢＯＮＥＷＩＮＧ ! ! ────────────
i. heathclan. ii. 26 moons. iii. bisexual, male preference. iv. tagged: emberfoot, mentioned sunpaw.
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even with exhaustion gripping his bones and muscles like those deranged dogs in his sleep, it was difficult to stay asleep for long. the ground was too solid to be comfortable, the sounds of twolegs and their noxious beasts were too loud to be comfortable, and the air seemed too thick to even breath in. it felt like it should have been a liquid; they might as well be breathing water. halfway through the night, his semi-delirious mind conjured up the thought that the air was thick with starclan's blood, which explained the stench and the thickness. blood is thicker than water, after all.

so in between the series of naps, he simply sat and stared. first, he stared at the sky, watching those poison-laden clouds lazily amble across the heavily and unevenly textured sky. it looked to be somewhere between the texture of a mound of cobwebs and feathers wrapped together and the texture of a chewed up dandelion stalk. at some point, after simply staring, he started to wonder if this was punishment: maybe this was the fabled dark forest. it was dark, but not because of tall and looming trees that threatened to claw someone or snarl - no, it was dark because one could not see through the thick air where if the haze hadn't obscured your vision, then the smog certainly did. maybe they were all dead, but only the ones they currently thought were dead were actually in starclan. maybe the end of heath- and mapleclan was with the end of their forests and fields.

bonewing pondered this thought for quite some time before he looked down and, after counting his twenty two toes again several times, decided that he wouldn't be surprised if this was the dark forest and he wasn't here on accident.

at one point, he flexed and relaxed his front toes some more after another of his many naps through the night, releasing and retracting his claws with them. the tom thought of his mother, who was ashamed of those very toes and the kitten with them. she was suspicious of him all his life until he learned how to play the game of manipulation and charm. from there, she still doubted him, but could be distracted by his wit and his memory. he remembered many things, things that didn't necessarily matter, but it was put to good use when he chimed in that he remembered a tip the medicine cat at the time said. she had died when he was maybe three moons old, but she came to visit the queens' den many, many times. he remembered things she used to say, whether it be muttering or genuine advice. bonewing found himself missing her more and more frequently when they ran from the forest and its terrible death.

a few naps later, the tom also found himself missing honeydew and his kits, even if he wasn't extremely close with either anymore. honeydew was like him: she treaded around the edges of friend groups, but knew how to charm her way into places she might not have been in otherwise. she was beautiful, surreal even, and it was a shame they disagreed and drifted apart so quickly and so easily. he spent his whole life clawing his way up to the role of the clan healer, trying to prove a point to the rest of the clan, and he couldn't imagine a life where he wasn't. it scared him, truth be told. now he lived with what he decided: he would stay, and no one would know - not about honeydew, not about sunpaw, and not about how he almost turned his back on starclan itself.

---

when the morning finally came, bonewing rose one last time and stretched. no longer was he a cream coloured cat, his long fur matted and stained with something vile, which was sadly the new norm. he did what he could to clean himself up, charcoal and mud lightening to an almost ash colour, and tried to ignore the burning in the back of his throat and along his tongue. instead, he drifted over to where emberfoot was, seeing as she was awake already and also grooming herself. the tom sat himself down near her, and greeted her with a sigh: "i'd say 'good morning' but i don't for how long it will be good." it was going to be a long day.

────────── ⚔⚔⚔ ＡＤＤＥＲＳＴＲＩＫＥ ! ! ──────────
i. mapleclan. ii. 34 moons. iii. pansexual. iv. tagged: softpaw & group.
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adderstrike felt something prodding him, and he made a small noise in acknowledgement, but still took a few moments to actually open his eyes and squint at the one who bothered him. normally, he prided himself in being a light sleeper - or rather, in being alert at all times, ready to fight against any evil, whether badger, heathclan, or fox - but last night was the deepest sleep he'd had in a very long time. he couldn't say he was someone who had many dreams often any any given point in his life, but after weaselfoot's death, he couldn't fall deep into sleep very often, if at all. it felt... nice. it was strange.

he finally looked up at who woke him up, spotting clayfur. he sat up and stretched, a huff escaping him as he did so, then blinked slowly a few times. basiltoe and stagleap were already rising as well. "thanks for waking me," and for not letting the heathclan mangefurs wake me instead, he silently added to himself.

[ataraxic_gone]

Ｂ Ｅ Ｅ Ｔ Ｌ Ｅ Ｓ Ｔ Ａ Ｒ

BeetleStar was deep in a dream...
"What's it like with the two-legs mama?"
He asked, a gentle wind forcing the leaf he had been playing with up until moments ago to flutter away from his reach. He wasn't bothered in the slightest by such a turn of events, after all he'd already chewed enough holes in it that the appeal was wearing off. Instead he favoured poking his mother with questions. He knew what life was like in the clans, loved life in the clans but the occasionally teasing words from older cats made him wonder.
He wanted to be able to tell them why he preferred clan life and he wanted to mean it, he could do no such thing until he knew.
"Well despite what the clan cats say I wasn't a kitty-pet, I was a street cat."
He walked closer, not speaking as he could sense the tone of voice to his mother that suggested she had a lot to say and very little patience for any interruption to her flow. Her pelt had this scent to it, faint and foreign, a scent that the forest hadn't yet claimed from her. It smelled strange but he had grown to associate it with her, he had grown to love it like he loved his mother.
The smell of his mother's pelt was on his tongue as he woke up, for the briefest moment he forgot himself and the feeling of the heat bouncing of the concrete under paw jarred him through a wave of confusion. Misery and grim understanding followed and BeetleStar weaved his way into the shadow of the garbage bin they had delivered their speech on last night. His eyes glanced across the way, dotting over the forms of the apprentices. It occurred to him that until they separated into two clans once more he had half a dozen new young faces to care and look out for as if they were his own. He didn't have much foundations for who and why each of the cat were who they were but if they let him, he'd offer them the same respect and love he gave the apprentices that were born into MapleClan.
He closed his eyes and whispered to the ancestors.
"Please be kind to us, they deserve better then these hardships."
He meant it, the hardest part of this was the fact that those apprentices would never get to live out the life they had in the forests. A whole legacy had just been destroyed and who knows what they could build for their children now. He leaned against the garbage bin and butted his head against it once. A silent effort to wake up, his posture was relatively considering his usual stern posture. Now that the rain wasn't muffling the scent of the two-legs realm, his mother was a ghost in the air and it was hard to remain vigilant and tense when everything reminded him of his kit hood. He pushed the venomous thought at the back of his head out of his mind, that those teasing apprentices had been right about him being a street cat.. He was a clan cat damn them!
☆═━[ name beetlestar gender male age 42 moons rank mc leader tags OPEN! ]

[purpleglitter]

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Ｗｉｌｌｏｗｐｅｌｔ

[ female ] [ 40 moons ] [ maple medicine cat ] [ location; alley ] [ tags; owlpaw ]

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Willowpelt's dreams were brief and vague, all leading to a mostly fitful sleep. Glimpses of things flitted across her minds eye, dogs snarling and chasing after her, cats of no distinction running in all directions from something hazy she couldn't make out, and a dark billowing cloud slowly moving over them and suffocating them. With each dream anything passed through her as if she wasn't there at all, like a ghostly presence watching each period of destruction. It left her confused and questioning everything being shown to her. Were these snippets of what was to come in the future then? Before whenever she had received messages from Starclan things were never shown like this and always had a cat she knew and trusted somewhere to accompany the messenger or to deliver their message. The dreams around her faded, but a heavyness stayed in her chest and followed her to the waking world.

The dark tabby molly woke in a coughing fit, trying to clear the heavyness that has followed her from her dreams that felt all to similar to smoke or thick liquid. After a few minutes her coughing ceased and most of the suffocating feeling ebbed away. Though it seemed the air was still thick with smoke or had turned into a liquid, giving her a slight wheeze. She took a moment to catch her breath and ease her burning lungs, her discomfort only made worse by the heat creeping in on them and settling like a heavy heated blanket that would not relent in it's warmth. Shaking her head and looking around, it seemed that most of the other cats were also uncomfortable with the sudden heat, made worse with the hard ground they tread upon that gave no mercy to their tender paws. Willowpelt sighed heavily, taking a moment to make sure the herb piles both she and Owlpaw had brought were still with them and safe. Noticing more cats slowly being brought to wakefulness, she turned to her apprentice beside her and gave him a soft nudge, "Wake up Owlpaw, we have much that needs to be done before the sun rises too high in the sky". Hopefully they could get their herbs situated and converse with the Heathclan cats without issue and be able to relax in a cooler place later, but it seemed it was going to be a long and uncomfortable day.

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Ｓｏｆｔｐａｗ

[ female ] [ 10 moons ] [ maple apprentice ] [ location; alley ] [ tags; clayfur, adderstrike, basiltoe, stagleap ]

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Voices slowly brought Softpaw back to the waking world. Her sleep had been uneventful and she was feeling well rested, but still unwilling to part from her spot just yet. She groaned softly, opening one green eye only to close it again and cover it with a paw to shield herself from the brightness of the morning. It was too bright and too hot for her to be willing to wake fully just yet, and by the sounds of the voices around her no one else was too keen on being set to go just yet either. She was content to rest a few moments longer, dozing lightly until one of the warriors beside her woke her up completely. The young tabby was usually very eager to perform her duties and hardly ever complained about any task she was given, but even her typically happy and upbeat nature was no match for the chore of waking early. It was something she never enjoyed doing, and was always having to drag herself out of her nest and wake up fully before she was back to her normal smiley self, and this morning was no different.