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- .i
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.i𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬iixxxxxxxxx𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
iixxx𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝
( Number of Cats ) ◖02◗ -- ◖ 0 males ◗◖ 2 females ◗
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- A soft breeze traveled across the land, bending the golden grasses of the prairie into a hypnotic, swaying dance. Playing the beat above a chorus of rustling leaves was the garden’s lone cricket, its tune a soft melody left to warble precariously amongst the other sounds filling the air. A pair of robins flitted overhead, red chests contrasting sharply against clear blue skies. Upon arrival, autumn brought with it a change in color to the broadleaf trees and a shift to cooler temperatures, ultimately trying to preserve the warmth of its carefully crafted atmosphere before the bleak, grey days of winter could arrive.
Fur pressed against the window screen, soaking up what little sunlight could reach her perch, the grey and white molly pointed her nose into the push and pull of the air, shoving her thoughts back into the pit of her mind. She instead focused on the contraction and expansion of her lungs, the waning beat of her heart, the sudden stillness that overtook her body as one last tremble shook its way out of her fur. A familiar calm settled over the cat. Anxiety still gripped at the edge of her consciousness, but for a moment – short-lived though it would probably be – Dumpling could finally delve into her thoughts without the threat of falling into an inescapable panic hanging over her head.
Today marked the seventh month since her friend had gone. She had kept a careful count of the days, but sometimes she wondered if it was a stupid effort. Dumpling couldn’t say she hadn’t expected her friend to return, stubborn as the ginger tabby was, but she’d still somehow hoped otherwise. With every passing day, however, her mind grew evermore creative in coming up with the various scenarios her friend could have encountered, the obstacles that could have arisen to prevent Peaches from returning home.
Another stone of worry settled in her stomach, knocking against the various other feelings of guilt and panic weighing the molly down. Dumpling held in a sigh, locking her mind onto the burn in her lungs. She really had no other way to counter the swallowing sensation that accompanied her swelling emotions but to focus on something sharp and tangible. A wandering thought that often worked its way around her guard drew Dumpling’s focus. As much as she didn’t want to, the grey and white molly knew that she would need to go looking for her friend, or at least seek out some trace of her, at some point. She’d been putting it off out of fear, but now she was out of time. Winter would erase everything… if there was even anything left to find.
The molly blinked her eyes back into focus, training her gaze on the flowing movement of the grasslands before dropping down from the windowsill and approaching the backdoor. A mixture of feelings followed her out into the garden, but as soon as she leapt over the fence, they dispersed like puffy dandelion seeds into the wind. A comfortable sense of relief filled the void, and Dumpling traveled on with a new energy invigorating her.
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The sun sat heavy above the mountains, and the sky was still an azure blue color absent of the golden and pink hues that typically signaled a sunset. Dumpling wasn’t sure how long she’d been walking, but the aches and stings running along her paws suggested it had been hours already. The molly sat down with a huff, holding each paw up to examine the damaged pads. They were flushed a darker pink than normal, swollen with scratches she could only assume also came from the burrs clinging to the fur along her legs.
Dumpling hadn’t found anything in regards to her friend’s disappearance, and as much as she didn’t want to stop looking, she knew that she would only continue to struggle if she didn’t allow herself a little bit of a break. Bitterly, she set to working the stickers off of her to pass the time. Distractedly, she watched as the breeze carried each one she tore off away, but then the breeze suddenly grew stronger into a gale that sent the grey and white molly tumbling into a thick line of bushes.
With a squawk, her body broke through the branches to land on a weirdly soft lump. A yelp sounded from beneath her, and Dumpling startled back onto her feet, turning swiftly to catch sight of a raggedly orange tabby. Still in a sleep-induced daze, the other cat dizzily gawked at her and slowly blinked their way to full awareness. Dumpling’s jaw dropped, and her eyes soaked up the image of her lost friend. Peaches was unbelievably thin, and there were patches of fur tangled up to stick out over her ribs and backbone. The whiskers along one side of her face were cut severely short, and her paws seemed to be stained a dark brown color, dotted occasionally with the lighter hues of stickers and burrs.
The shock was nearly overwhelming, and the molly wasn’t sure if her goal should have been that easy to accomplish, but Dumpling couldn’t hold back any longer. Her friend looked like she was on the edge of death, and Dumpling refused to let her thoughts wander into darker territories. Instead, she rushed into her friend, uncaringly sending them both to the ground as she ran a tongue along her friend’s cheek and nuzzled her way beneath the orange tabby’s chin. “Oh, oh, I was so worried,” She babbled, words warbling their way out of her throat, “Nobody knew what had happened to you, and I wanted to come look for you, but I was… I couldn’t–”
Dumpling’s sentence was left to peter out as Peaches’ offered a weary chuckle in response. The ginger molly stood them both up and shook her fur out, lifting her chin to draw her friend back towards her and happily curling around the grey and white molly’s body when Dumpling eagerly complied. “I was wondering when you were going to show up,” Peaches murmured, wrapping her tail tightly around them as though to keep her friend from leaving.
Dumpling gulped, biting the inside of her cheek in an attempt to keep from crying. She should have come sooner, and she wanted to kick herself for not even trying over the past seven months. She didn’t even want to begin thinking about how lonely her friend must have been, how troubled she must have felt when each day ended and still no one had come to meet her. But even as she trembled and her eyes began to burn, the grey and white molly squeaked out, “I told you it’d be next time.” After a pause to try and regain herself, Dumpling barked out a rough, watery laugh, raising her gaze to meet that of her friend’s, “Aren’t you glad I came early?”
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Counting the days had become an unfortunate habit that stuck by Dumpling no matter how hard she tried to get rid of it. She had decided a week ago that she would be sticking by Peaches’ side for the rest of their lives, but the decision sometimes weighed heavy in her head. Although she knew it was an old feeling of guilt still plaguing her, the molly’s mind was still constantly working to convince her that someday, something would happen to split the pair of them up again. Unless something physically pulled her away from Peaches, the grey and white cat was determined to make it up to her friend and ensure she never had to experience such horrible loneliness ever again.
Dumpling stretched her paws out in front of her, watching the morning light dance of her paws before her head tipped back, mouth gaping open in a wide yawn. She dug her claws into the ground, pressing the dirt up against her paw pads. She still wasn’t used to sleeping outside, but the rocky overhang her friend had labeled as ‘home’ was beginning to grow on her, if not for the safe shelter from occasional bursts of rain then for the rocky ledge that offered a perfect perch for sunbathing. Other than a few dreary days, Dumpling was starting to see how her friend had so easily been charmed into living the rest of her life out in the prairie.
Peaches was scampering over one of the hills surrounding the little hollow their den was hidden away in just as Dumpling was making her way out into the morning’s light. Clasped between the orange tabby’s jaws was a brown squirrel, and Dumpling couldn’t help but lick her lips eagerly as her stomach gave a soft rumble. The squirrel was dropped before her paws, but before Dumpling could sink her teeth into the creature’s warm flesh, Peaches cleared her throat to draw her friend’s attention.
“Seeing as you’re my first recruit, I thought it was about time to start implementing some of the things the ancient clans used to do,” The orange molly said, a smile lighting her features. At Dumpling’s raised brow, she continued with a quick explanation, “I needed someone else backing me up before I could do anything. With you here, though, our clan can finally get started!”
“Alright, what first then?” Dumpling tried to recall what she’d learned from the stories she’d heard, noting that ranks held something of importance among clans and wondering if that’s what Peaches was talking about. She was completely fine with letting Peaches take over the leader’s role seeing as she was too panicky a cat to be capable of handling any sort of rough situation without ultimately running away.
“Names!” Peaches cheered, dancing on her toes with excitement. Dumpling only nodded dumbly. Names were also a good start, she thought. While she couldn’t be certain for Peaches’ reasons, Dumpling believed that a change in names would mean finally forgetting about their past lives as pets. That was, in her opinion, a good thing if they really wanted to make their clan successful and showcase themselves as a pair of very serious clan cats.
Peaches had begun circling the stationary molly, meowing excitedly to herself, “Maybe ‘Fire’ or ‘Viper.’ …Ooh!! Or maybe ‘Lion.’”
The grey and white molly pondered on the names for a moment as her friend continued to mutter away. With an abrupt mew, Dumpling suggested, “How about ‘Kindle’?”
“‘Kindle’?” Peaches croaked, tossing her friend an unimpressed look over her shoulder, “What sort of a fearsome name is that?”
Dumpling shrugged, turning to face her friend directly. “I thought it fit,” She stated firmly.
“How?” Peaches pressed before molding her body into a ridiculous pose, “What part of this says ‘Kindle’ to you?”
Dumpling rolled her eyes good-naturedly, shoving a paw into her friend’s side until she rolled over. “Well,” She began simply, “Because you’re the start of something, aren’t you? You’re ‘kindling’ a new era of warrior cats. It might not be as cool as ‘Lion’ or ‘Blaze,’ but I think the meaning behind it is nice.”
Peaches stared for a moment, her gaze lost as she retreated to her thoughts. After a moment, she rolled onto her back, paws grasping at the air, and hummed approvingly, “Actually, it does have a nice ring to it.”
“And I doubt there’s another Kindle out there or in the stars above,” Dumpling encouraged, settling down beside her friend and drawing a tongue over the jagged edges of Peaches’ shortened whiskers, “It’d be completely unique to you.”
“‘Kindle’…, yeah, I definitely like it. How about you, then?” Peach—Kindle turned back toward her friend, green gaze rolling up and down the grey and white molly’s form. “Hmmm, maybe Dawn? No…”
Dumpling watched her friend jump to her paws to pace and ponder, happy to sit and wait while the other cat worked toward a conclusion. The smaller molly dragged the squirrel closer toward her just before Kindle could trip over it, happy to finally be able to begin feasting on it. With her friend busying thinking, the grey and white molly decided there was no better time than now to placate her rumbling stomach.
Whipping back around, Kindle meowed, “How about ‘Weaver’?”
Dumpling took her time chewing before swallowing slowly. “‘Weaver’?” She repeated, taking deliberate care to annunciate each syllable.
“Yeah, like a spider,” Kindle explained as she placed a paw over the squirrel and drew it back to herself, “You’ve studied up on the history of the Ancients a lot more than I have, so I thought something related to the past would work. Spiders have been around since forever. They’re super artful and organized, too, which works because you’re so careful with details. Besides, you’re helping me develop our clan or, in other words, you’re helping me ‘weave’ a new moment in history.”
Dumpling waited for her friend to finish before chuckling softly, “It’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
Kindle scowled, grasping the squirrel between her teeth and turning away with it. Dumpling’s despairing groan at losing her breakfast was quieted by the ginger tabby’s petulant, muffled response, “No more than yours was.”
Dumpling wanted to argue, but ultimately decided against it. With a shrug, she sighed and offered her friend a warm smile. “Sure,” she mewed, standing up to sit beside her friend and press her body into the tabby’s warm fur, “Sure, ‘Weaver’ it is, then.”
[Seven-month time skip]
[Peaches becomes Kindle. Dumpling becomes Weaver.
Full names are in archive, if you're curious.]
[Kindle asks the Ancients for a cat.]
[Kindle and Weaver go on a border patrol.]
[Kindle goes hunting.]
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[Peaches becomes Kindle. Dumpling becomes Weaver.
Full names are in archive, if you're curious.]
[Kindle asks the Ancients for a cat.]
[Kindle and Weaver go on a border patrol.]
[Kindle goes hunting.]
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𝐋𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲:
Kindle | 25 moons | Female | X
Lives: ★ (1/1)
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Weaver | 24 moons | Female | X
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
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𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲:
Name and Name
space| Kits
Name and Name
space| Kits
Cat Name | Cause of Death
Cat Name | Cause of Death
Kindle | 25 moons | Female | X
Lives: ★ (1/1)
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Weaver | 24 moons | Female | X
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
Name | Age | Gender | [url=link]X[/url]
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𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲:
Name and Name
space| Kits
Name and Name
space| Kits
Cat Name | Cause of Death
Cat Name | Cause of Death
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- ( Borders ) --
spaceNorth | Clan Name | Username
spaceEast | Clan Name | Username
spaceSouth | Clan Name | Username
spaceWest | Clan Name | Username
( Ally Clans ) --
spaceClan Name | Username
spaceClan Name | Usernamexxxxxxxxx( Enemy Clans ) --
spaceClan Name | Username
spaceClan Name | Username
( Fresh-Kill Pile ) --
space( x0 ) Mice | 1 serving
space( x0 ) Prairie Dogs | 1 serving
space( x1 ) Squirrels | 2 servings
space( x0 ) Small Fish | 2 servings
space( x0 ) Rabbits | 2 servings
space( x0 ) Birds | 3 servings
spi◖Total Stock -- 2 servings◗
( Medicine In Use ) --
space( x0 ) Herb | Usage
space( x0 ) Herb | Usage
spi◖Stored Herbs -- 5 available◗
space( x1 ) Bindweed | Fastens sticks to broken legs to keep them in place.
space( x1 ) Catchweed | Stops poultices from being rubbed off without hurting the skin
space( x1 ) Feverfew | Heal aches and pains and reduces body temperature.
space( x1 ) Lavender | Cures fever and chills. Also used to hide the scent of death.
space( x1 ) Marigold | Stops infection and bleeding. Used for inflamed stiff joints.
( Training ) --
spaceMentor | Apprentice | No. of training sessions
spacespace| Moves
spaceMentor | Apprentice | No. of training sessions
spacespace| Moves
