Rise Summer Event: Summer of Thorns | Path 3

[~HєуRєι~]

Writing Prompt!
Username: ~HєуRєι~
Clan Thread: Beamclan
Prompt Writing

Following the previous night, seeing the shaded figure in the dark had unnerved Doestar. The tall she-cat believed herself lucky that her deputy happened to be with her, reassuring her that the figure wasn't a simple trick of the mind. After having traveled safely home and slept on her thoughts, being awoken by her slightly panicked medicine cat, Ratwood, she was left alone in her den to ponder the legitimacy of Starclan's message.

'Surely they could have sent more than a sun surrounded in flowers? At least given more information to help my medicine cat be sure of himself while I sit here pondering my own interpretation and faith in the rarely given message.' The shecat paced in the small space, the wood around her creating a slight barrier to sounds of the outside, while also keeping others from suspecting her intense confusion and panic as she moved.

"A sun for a certain leader, followers of daisies for innocents, loyalty and cheer, and of poppies for consolation and peace.." she mumbled the words under her breath as she repeated them, embedding them into her weary mind along the lone circle she paced. "Surely this means they have come out of Starclan's will? Though if they were then how do they have the confidence and want to take more of our territory? Shouldn't they be willing to at least allow for us to know what our ancestors might have told them?"

The mind of a troubled leader is not one to be trifled with, played with, and yet she seemed to play with her own mind, weaving her own panicked state within her conscience thought while desperately trying to understand the prophecy at hand. 'Were they rogues? A previous clan? Why would they be so aggressive towards us when we could share the same connection to our ancestors, The ones that guide us all to our destined path?' Her troubled mind was interrupted,as a clan hunter she-cat, Morningshine, stepped into the hollow base of the tree overhanging the camp.

"Doestar?" the longfurred caliby stepped carefully with concern for her leader, ",your pacing seemed to vibrate the ground ever so slightly, disturbing some of the rocks in the ceiling to break. Are you troubled?" the soft and friendly swaying of the feathered tail showed a defined calmness that Doestar was weak to. "A simple.. well, not entirely simple, prophecy that I received from Ratwood regarding our situation," the mink leader ceased her pacing, turning to her clanmate with a soft inquisitive expression. It was the first prophecy she was given as leader, the first that had dire and yet confusing circumstances in it's midst.

"Pardon my asking, but what about it is troubling you? Surely Ratwood was able to decipher it as well as he can, and shouldn't Starclan's word be trusted?", the caliby rubbed her head in comfort against her leader's shoulder, "Sometimes taking things at face value is healthier and more correct than trying to blindly find an answer that may not be there. Remember your faith in our ancestors. Surely they would not lead us astray." A soft purr escaping the both of them, for comfort of mind and thanks for the reassurance. Doestar walked out and parted from Morningshine, assured by her words that she could trust in her ancestor's guidance, though blind to the path in front of her. If her ancestors have spoken to Ratwood over the fact these strangers mean peace, then she trusts that the path shall not lead her paws astray.

Until the groups meet, Doestar will stand under Starclan's guidance faithfully. [Word Count: 600]

[.paris.]

Writing Prompt!
Username: .paris.
Clan Thread: flameclan
Word Count: 600 words

_____

xxxxxBlazestar awoke to Moonpelt’s large, fluffy face directly in hers.
xxxxx“Woah!” she cried, jumping back, puffing out her fur and inadvertently waking up Icetalon. Icetalon hissed, but rolled back over without opening her eyes after realizing it was just Moonpelt. She wasn’t much of a morning cat.
xxxxxLillyheart glared at her mentor. “I told you not to wake them up like that.” she said, crossing the small hollow to gently lick down her leader’s fur, purring softly as Blazestar relaxed.
xxxxx“Sorry,” she muttered, eventually nudging Lillyheart off. “What is it, Moonpelt?”
xxxxxMoonpelt’s eyes were as big as the lake as he recounted the dream he’d had to her.
xxxxxIcetalon, who had woken up during his explanation, rolled her eyes and flopped back down again. “Sounds like wishful thinking,” she muttered, but quieted herself when Blazestar shot her a glare.
xxxxx“Ignore her,” she apologized. “I hope you’re right, Moonpelt,” she said, looking at him before Lillyheart’s flat gaze distracted her.
xxxxxShe knew the young apprentice did not believe in Starclan—it was her secret to bear, and hers alone. For now, Blazestar was the only one in the Clan who knew. She hid it well, most of the time, and so far, none of the clan had expressed any concerns about her ability. She was a talented medicine cat, and so far, that was what mattered.
xxxxxAlthough Blazestar’s faith in Starclan was firm, there were times that she questioned the all-knowing power of her ancestors. In times like this, in the face of Moonpelt’s near blinding fate, she found it easier to relate to Lillyheart than her true medicine cat. Her skepticism was healthy at times, and kept Blazestar grounded during times of strife.
xxxxxShe shot her a near-invisible sympathetic glance, before returning her gaze to Moonpelt. “Thank you for letting me know,” she said, bowing her head. “Now, would you leave us, please? I want to discuss this with my deputy.”
xxxxxMoonpelt nodded, and, with a flick of his fluffy tail, led Lillyheart from their den.
xxxxxBlazestar turned to her mate, who had sat up and was cleaning herself. “What do you think?”
xxxxxIcetalon did not look up from her fur. “First of all, I think our medicine cat has to learn some manners.” Blazestar rolled her eyes, but said nothing. “Second of all, I really don’t know if I buy it. Two cats, bringing peace to our clan and this bunch of rogues? It’s not impossible, but I don’t think it’s something we should bank on.”
xxxxxOnce again, Blazestar found herself relieved that she found someone so decisive and blanche like Icetalon. She and her often had similar opinions, and it often took Icetalon saying something for Blazestar to truly realize how she felt. She often wondered why StarClan had made her leader rather than her mate, but, in that instance, she trusted their guidance.
xxxxxIn this situation, though, the concerns of her mate matched hers nearly perfectly. “I agree wholeheartedly,” she meowed, “and I definitely don’t think this should be an excuse for us to decrease patrols. I think I’m just going to have things continue on as they have been, and, if the cats come, it will be a happy accident. Speaking of, would you mind taking Falconclaw and Cedarskies on a patrol? I need to do some training with Maplepaw. I’ve been neglecting her lately.”
xxxxxIcetalong nodded. “Of course, Blazestar,” touching her nose gently to hers before leaving the den.
xxxxxBlazestar sighed, following after, taking in the sight of the sun reflecting off the lake. I hope I’m doing the right thing…

[Neah]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Neah
Clan Thread: SunClan
Prompt Writing:

When shes awoke by Brightleaf that morning, Kestrelstar can only listen in tired raptness as her medicine cat explains the sign she received. Once the bright she-cat finishes, she asks, "And the Star Walkers believe these cats will absolutely come?" Brightleaf simpers for a moment, gaze falling wayside. She doesn't seem to know how to answer, so Kestrelstar withdraws a bit to let her think it out.

"I believe they hope, more than anything, that it will come to pass. They aren't all-knowing, they can only pick out paths that are likely to happen, and try to direct us into making it a more likely outcome. They aren't fail-proof." Brightleaf bops her head once, like she's agreeing with her words, and turns warm eyes back to Kestrelstar. "I think it will come to pass. These rogues may be trying to avoid us, but eventually, a few of them are going to realize they need help. I think these are the ones that we should be looking for. They may not come to us actively, perhaps because they could face retribution, so we should keep an eye out for them on our borders or in our territory."

Kestrelstar nods and Brightleaf sends her a smile, taking her exit as she notes the leader wants time to process the words. She's only gone for a moment before Rosecloud comes swishing in through the ferns and vines covering the entrance to the den. She's obviously heard most of the conversation, probably from having sat outside waiting for her cue to come in. She quickly settles herself at Kestrelstar's side, starting to groom her friend's pelt as she thinks.

"If Brightleaf has faith that it will come to pass, I can align myself with it. We'll have to double up on patrols, try to catch wind of them as early as we can." Kestrelstar turns he attention to Rosecloud as she halts her grooming, "If these cats do not come, we'll have to fight. They're taking too much or our territory, and we can't expand much further. The mountains are unsafe, and as willing as FloodClan would be to help, Daystar has his own mouths to feed."

Rosecloud nods, laying her head on her paws as Kestrelstar leans against her, "You know I'll follow whatever it is you decide. If it comes down to leading us to battle, the clan will gladly go. They have just as much drive to protect our home as you do."

The two she-cats settle in, knowing it will be a little while until the rest of the clan wakes. Both know that the two mysterious rogues they are waiting for are their last chance to resolve the situation peacefully. Both can only hope they show up.

[SkywardtheDragon]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Skywardthedragon
Clan Thread: https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=3850844
Prompt Writing:
Cricket did not understand this strange dream, and with nobody to discuss it with she instead spent her time mulling it over. Her normal hunting and gathering was overshadowed by her desire to make sense of the omen, and she fumbled to catch the already-scarce prey. She only had a few paths to hide from the strangers now, and they enclosed on her home day by day.
At night, sleepless and hungry, she wandered outside. Even the grass felt drier underneath her paws, and it crunched beneath her feet as she padded along. With nothing else to do, she yowled to herself, quietly to not attract the rouges.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw a glint in the mountains, which she hadn’t seen before. Almost as bright as a star, its shine remained constant no matter where Cricket walked. It seemed to call her, in a way. And, really, she had no place to go. Perhaps the ancestors were guiding her to a new place to live.
With her mind set on this task, Cricket began to climb. Her heart almost stopped as her paw slipped off a ledge, sending dust and pebbles floating down. She fit her paws into crevices to climb higher, hauling herself up with the little strength she had left.
She felt close to the glint she had seen, but her strength left her and she fell asleep.

Cricket felt like she must have talked to her ancestors, but when she woke up the memory was slipping away like fog. She grasped onto the few memories she had of her dream, but they faded away, leaving only one image behind: two cats, one carrying a daisy and one carrying a poppy. She had a feeling they were the rouges.
Perhaps, they were bringing peace to her.

[Placebo]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Placebo
Clan Thread: Floodclan
Prompt Writing:

Daystar settled into his nest with a frown. The news was... troubling. “So two cats are meant to come, then?”

“To sum it up, yeah. The vague nature of the message was a bit odd, if I’m being honest. The ancestors and spirits within the floodplains usually make such an effort to keep things succinct concerning signs we need to prepare for.... it makes me a bit concerned, Damien. They did tell me they were working with limited information.”

The cinnamon leader turned an assessing eye onto his medicine cat. “So, at least in regards to how much we know about the rouges, it looks as if we’re all a little bit in the dark.”

Lilyfrost flashed her leader a wry smile. “I guess so. But you were right about them having barely any water experience. The ancestors definitely stressed our advantage in the water. If blows come to blows...”

“We hit them at their weakest,” Lightningsong finished her statement and bared a fang menacingly, a not-grin at the thought of an imminent fight. Daystar turned a wary gaze onto his mate, but then his own deep green eyes hardened as he thought about protecting his own. When push came to shove, Floodclan never truly backed down. Not for anything.

“Well then. We need to be ready for when these two cats actually come. You said one of the ancestors approached you personally, too?” Daystar turned to his medicine cat.

Lilyfrost nodded, but her gaze became troubled and she hesitated, obviously conflicted, before speaking. “...Stonerunner approached me.” Daystar felt his throat dry up around his tongue in shock. Stonerunner? “He wasn’t frightened, per say, but he was... vexed, in a sense. Stonerunner told me personally that there seemed to be something blocking the ancestors’ sight, another starry presence that partially shrouded the rival group. The land and water spirits of the floodplains aren’t willing to interfere with the spiritual disputes that only affect one species, so the ancestors have to operate on knowledge based on observation.”

Daystar tried to brush off the vertigo of having Stonerunner be mentioned and focus on the matter at hand. He absorbed Lilyfrost’s words and looked up in surprise. “That... doesn’t sound very good.”

Lightningsong raised his brow at his mate. “How so?”

“It implies they have spiritual protection of a sort. Spiritual protection isn’t given to just a rag-tag group of rogues or any random city colony that pops up. They’re organized.”

Lightningsong’s face dawned in realization. “Which means...”

“They can be actually bargained with,” Daystar hummed under his breath in thought. “Looks like taking the most straightforward way won't reward us anymore... Well, seems as if we’re going to have to prepare to negotiate with a couple of cats. They’re bound to show up sooner rather than later.”

{465}

[CertainNorth]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Tendency
Clan Thread: Dustclan
Prompt Writing: 577/600

It was dark, stars small flecks in the sky. They never talked to her, but that was fine. Her ancestors shared with her in other ways.

The seer ducked under a clump of brush laden with snow, two frosted flowers clutched in her jaws along with the rest of the herbs she had dug up. Everything was blue at night here. She liked that. The way the light cast everything in calm.

Had she had an apprentice, she would have sent them out for herbs. But alas Dustclan still only had her. She wasn't a healer. Not really. As much as she had learned some of the craft, her calling was to read the signs from her ancestors. A "seer" she had titled herself. While Driftbreeze was accepting of her, some of the other clan cats were not. Tribe cat weren't very different, but Lightsong herself...

She was still convinced she could make Wraith her mate. Their kits would be perfect. If a bit moody. And Ghost would have been a wonderful seer apprentice. His aura was so powerful it made it hard to read signs near him. She speculated he could actually speak to his ancestors, but she had yet to get him to admit such a thing.

The cream lynx leapt neatly down the rocks into the camp. She might not be the most nimble cat without a tail, but she was practiced enough. The seer darted to her den first, to store the herbs and supplies and then glanced around for Drift. Where was that wanderer off to now?

Her teal eyes caught Wraith first. The blue tabby was laying near the tunnel to the leader's den, tail durled around his nose, but hazel eyes watching the entire camp. Windrunner was pacing back and forth, chatting excitedly to Mantispaw and a few others.

Lightsong stepped forward, tail floating luxuriously behind her, a smile in her eyes. She set down the flowers. "Wraith, my love,"

He flicked his ears at her, but didn't look at her. He was still clearly tense about the invaders. "Very well, Direct me to Driftbreeze, I am sure he will be more interested in the signs."

That got his attention. He caught the scent of the flowers and sat up. "Where did you find those?" At the end of HeavySnow, in the middle of the night, was his unsaid addition.

Driftbreeze poked his head out of his den. He must have been taking a nap after a patrol. The camp looked empty enough that another must be out now, probably lead by Ghost. "Flowers?" He sniffed them. "Where did you-"

"On the south slopes. I was collecting supplies and a white hare seemed to keep appearing in front of me. I followed it and at the top of a rise, I saw a group of the flowers, poppies and daisies, symbols of innocence and peace. Above them for a moment, it seemed to be the sun, as if they were followers of it, but not sent to do it's bidding." she paused. Drift waited silently. "I think it means two cats will come to make us an offer of peace."

She and Wraith watched in silence as Drift considered. "Oh! Flowers faces follow the sun during the day! I get it!"

Wraith rolled his eyes.

"You know I'm not a believer in the Ancients, Lightsong. But if you believe this is a good thing...I guess we'll find out soon enough."

**points to be awarded by another staff member**

[CertainNorth]

Here are the awarded points from the previously submitted prompts.

~HєуRєι~ has received 5 reputation points.
.paris. has received 5 reputation points.
Neah has received 5 reputation points.
Placebo has received 5 reputation points.
Tendency has received 5 reputation points. **awarded by Neah**

»»———— • ————««

Previous art prompts can continue to be done, but please post they as a new post so that they are not missed.

[CertainNorth]

»»———— • ————««

It's a few days later when one of your cats run into camp ahead of their patrol, coming to tell you in advance that they met two cats on the border that asked to speak to you. You thank them for the information before sitting to await these strangers. You can only hope that they're the ones your medicine cat dreamed about. A few minutes later the patrol is filing into camp, a cat on each side of the visitors. You perk up, looking to catch sight of the two cats. The first that steps through is a blue tom. He's astoundingly pretty, and when he turns his gaze on you, you can see that he has a pair of startling green eyes. The second that comes in is, arguably, just as pretty in the pelt, but doesn't carry himself with nearly as much grace as his companion.

After taking the pair in, you move to go meet them. The blue tom stands taller as you approach, but the other seems more interested in looking around your camp in wonder than paying attention to what's going on in front of him. When you stand in front of the pair the graceful tom dips his head, introducing himself to you as Apollo. When his friend doesn't seem to be about to introduce himself, he sighs and tacks on that this is his group member Pan.

You have a feeling, based on how they've presented so far, that Apollo is the sun and Pan is the daisy and poppy wreath. You share a weighted look with your medicine cat before turning to talk to Apollo. "Are you the leader of the... visiting group?" When he shakes his head, you can only wonder who this mysterious leader is. "If you don't lead them, what are you doing here?"

Apollo sits, drawing his tail close, and you have a feeling you're going to get a decent sized explanation. "We came here on instruction from ancient starry cats. Something you must be familiar with if they reached out to show us this place. Our star reader doesn't explain these visions, and our leader, my sister, took it in one of the least favorable ways."

Pan interjects then, eyes bright, "It's not her fault! She's very inexperienced and is just trying her best!" All gathered close enough to hear blink at him. You can't tell if this is meant to be a critique of her leadership, or if Pan is just repeating something he'd heard elsewhere. You have a feeling, though, that it's not meant in any ill-will. He clearly doesn't have a mean hair in his pelt.

The blue tom clears his throat, trying to bring the conversation back on track. He doesn't look angry though, and you think he's rather fond of this cheery cat next to him. "My sister is inexperienced, yes. We've had to fight for everything we have; she doesn't understand that peace is an option. Add that to an ineffectual group of advisors and you have a great potential for bad decisions." You're not sure what to think about this information. Apollo clearly thinks his sister wasn't ready for leadership, but he seems to want to correct it; instead of overthrowing her, he's doing what he can to right her wrongs. From the picture he paints of her, it seems like she's a young cat that wasn't ready to provide for a group of cats, and doesn't have much help in learning how to do so now that she has to.

You have one question, though, that had surfaced during Apollo's explanation. "Why come to my clan about this? You seem to know whats going on, and I doubt any of us have more sway on your sister than you do."

Apollo smiles, wide and bright. "That's simple. I'm stopping the war before it begins."

»»———— • ————««

Prompt 4: Does your leader trust Apollo to do what he promises?
Art Prompt 4: Draw Apollo flirting with one of your cats, or draw one of your cats flirting with Pan and/or Apollo.

»»———— • ————««

Writing Prompt End Date: 25th July
THIS WRITING PROMPT IS NOW CLOSED

Code: Select all

[b]Art Prompt 4![/b]
Username:
Clan Thread:
Prompt Art:

[~HєуRєι~]

Writing Prompt!
Username: ~HєуRєι~
Clan Thread: Beamclan
Prompt Writing

A few days later, thetall shecat stepped outsife her den, dutifully watching over her clanmates as they begin to start off the morning duties, her loyal deputy starting off with the morning patrol towards the main entrance to the camp. Patrolling the camp in a calm manner, she felt as though the prophecy problem was put to the back of her mind to allow her to think about her clan clearly. As she moved around she noted the newly made crowding towards the entrance of her clan's camp. 'What could possibly be the matter?' she pondered in her mind as she approached, her deputy approaching her before she got the chance to speak. "We found some trespassers on our patrol, they wished to speak with you." Doestar nodded in reply, a silent approval to allow the cats to meet her at her own den.

As she trotted towards her den, waiting patiently for the newcomers to appear, her deputy silently padded to the entrance and sat just outside, accompanied by two unknown cats, presumably the guests. "Please come in, I've heard you wish to speak with me," the mink leader looked towards them with serious, unwavering expression in her face and tone. "We are in deed," the silver tom spoke, For about an hour, though maybe more, the 4 cats spoke in private, mainly about the invading group and who the two guests were. As it turns out, the leader of the group wasn't this tom but instead was a she-cat, sister to the tom. She was described as inexperienced with leading, as well as seemingly chose this method of dealing with a message from Starclan with violence. The two toms came to Beamclan to intentionally halt the possibility of a war, or at least battle, that would come should their leader venture further into the territory.

At first, Doestar was skeptical, why would these cats try to stop something they were a part of, try to stop an invasion of a small clan's territory while she and her deputy decidedly stood back to keep their members safe? Though these skeptical thoughts soon faded away as the cats continued speaking, the tom by the name of Apollo seemed to be genuinely worried for both parties as he went on. Of course, while the silver tom did most of the talking, his travelling companion Pan seemed to be just as concerned, though a tad distracted as he peered out into the clan's camp with interest. With this conversation, Doestar believes Apollo will complete his task and allows the two to stay as long as they need. Certainly with the help of these outsiders, they would be able to come down to a compromise. [Word Count: 452]

[SkywardtheDragon]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Skywardthedragon
Clan Thread: https://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=3850844
Prompt Writing:
Cricket shifts into a defensive mode, wary of these two cats. Though she doesn’t make it obviously known (so as to avoid misreading), she slightly angles her ears back and keeps her muscles tense and ready to spring. She may have been outnumbered, but she wasn’t about to give up everything to these invaders so easily.
As the two cats explaind their story more, Cricket starts to ease up. Her ears fold forward attentively, and she relaxes into the talking.
After the two cats finish talking about their leader, Cricket has a suggestion. “Couldn’t you just overthrow her?”
Wrong answer, apparently.
—-
After what felt like a day getting chewed out by Apollo, Cricket bid the two rouges goodbye as they left her sorry excuse for a camp. So much for trying to bring her tribe to new territories, when she couldn’t even deal with a few rival cats without help. She could talk to her ancestors, but why bother them with this?
She expected the deal to end with her kicked out of her den. With so many cats on their side, why not give them the land that only supported her scrawny body? No siblings, no mate, just a single cat living on borrowed land.
She half-expected an ancestor to appear before her, kick her out of her self-hating thoughts, and give her motivation to move on, but it appeared this time she was on her own. Maybe it was a punishment for not paying attention to her dream last night.
Cricket paced her den, feeling especially small in the wide cavern. Apollo seemed rather trustworthy; but perhaps she just felt desperate for help. Pan seemed rather sweet, at least, though not very mature. And, it wasn’t like she had much of a choice in this; it was either make a deal with them or leave her home.
The rest of the day is spent preparing for the rouges’ arrival. Though Cricket isn’t entirely sure where the meeting will be, she cleans up her den in case they take it to her. It would make the most sense, since they know where she lives but she doesn’t.
The thought is rather scary by itself. If they know where her den is, what stops them from being able to kill her in her sleep? She had to trust them.
Too much of her life has been placed in other’s paws. But, if she had to choose, Apollo’s and Pan’s seemed well enough.