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0014 total ━ 0007 she-cats ━ 0007 tom-cats
archive ━ back ━ forward
mod: simonpet ━ next great cave visit: feb 29th
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with the pair of cats spotted headed towards the border, cavernstar stepped forward and flattened his ears to the back of his head. "from where do you come?" his gaze was trained on the pair, with pearblossom and waspwing on either side of him.
"oh- are you spruceclan?" the she-cat asked. her voice was soft and she spoke gently, as if not to upset the trio across the border.
"depends on who's asking," pearblossom said. "from where do you come, he asked."
"my name is morningstripe, and this is my mate, antlercrash. dalliance sent us to find cavernfall and his clan." the chocolate tom beside morningstripe, now found out to be called antlercrash, nodded his head in solidarity. the young leader's ears perked at the mention of his distanced friend.
"it's cavernstar now- dalliance sent you?" he stepped forward, crossing the border to get a better view of the pair. he could recognize them, almost. as a kit, the pair had been newer warriors. "i remember you two, i think. come, tell me about dalliance and.. and what are you even doing here?"
"yes, you were just cavernkit when we first met. mistie was so proud to have been blessed by starclan with such beautiful kits," antlercrash said, grinning slightly. "your mother was a strong cat, cavernstar, and so was your father. but they've nothing to do with us being here. we've come a long way, rocky; might we tell you after some rest?" cavernstar glanced back at his patrol, the two cats still standing in such a way that would easily come off as aggressive.
"my parents were incredible cats, i agree. but yes, of course. a friend of dalliance is a friend of mine." cavernstar nodded over his shoulder, signalling for the cats to follow him and his patrol. to pearblossom and waspwing, the tom whispered, "keep an eye on them."
after a few hours of rest, antlercrash and morningstripe sought out cavernstar. underneath the shade of a oak tree, cavernstar and magpieflight were resting, discussing their plans for the next few moons. the days were getting warmer while the nights were still rather chilly, but soon the sun would beat down on them unforgivably and mercilessly.
"cavernstar, we're ready to speak with you if that's alright," morningstripe mewed. her voice was still soft and it almost felt like she was holding back from speaking too much or being too forward. cavernstar nodded at her.
"come sit with us. this is my deputy and close friend, magpieflight. magpie, this is morningstripe and antlercrash. they're from my old pack." cavernstar lifted himself into a sitting position as he introduced the cats, magpieflight following suit.
"hi, nice to meet you both," she said, nodding slightly at the two cats. "what's going on?" magpieflight glanced between cavernstar and the pair. cavernstar nodded at the cats, signalling for them to explain themselves.
"the rust belt isn't doing so hot, cavernstar. sprite has gotten the pack into a lot of trouble with a lot of different leaders and other packs and she's still acting impulsively. it's putting the pack cats in danger and her guardians are worried that if she continues to act like this, she's going to get the rust belt killed. dalliance was promoted to guardian nearly eight moons ago and-"
cavernstar cut him off. "guardian? i always thought she'd reject the position, though. i can't believe it."
"she chose to become guardian so she could do what she's doing now, cavernstar. it wasn't a choice she made in order to help sprite, no. it was a choice she made to help cats like us," morningstripe interjected. this time, she was less gentle and more firm. she needed to defend dalliance's actions and decisions.
"alright, then. continue on about sprite and dalliance. has she changed her name to fit guardianship?"
"they've called her tungsten. those who are part of the insurrection are still calling her dalliance, but never in the presence of sprite. but anyway," antlercrash said, rolling his paw. "she's been promoted to guardian and she isn't the only guardian who wants nothing to do with the rust belt. out of seven, three others have joined the insurrection. many of the rust belt cats are joining the insurrection, but not all of them are being sent here. over the next few moons, cavernstar, you may find yourself greeting familiar faces. dalliance is sending a specific group to you, but they have to come in paces, otherwise sprite will figure out that something's going on under her nose."
"so you all belonged to the same pack and the pack's leader is dangerous? and a guardian called dalliance or tungsten is sending cats away to protect them?" magpieflight questioned, eyes narrowed. "what's a guardian, and why do cats change their names upon being promoted to guardian? and, what's this sprite's big deal? what's she doing that's so dangerous for the pack?"
morningstripe nodded, sighing softly as she made eye contact with the spruceclan deputy. "sprite doesn't look like much. she's small, smaller than that waspwing we met earlier today. however, it's the guardians that are usually feared. she's their commander and they do most, if not all, of her dirty work. the guardians are savages, usually. they're typically larger than the average cat and are recruited based on their size and their battle work." the she-cat paused for a moment to glance over at the two tom-cats who were watching her intently before making eye contact with magpieflight once more. "they change their names to fit metal ores, something sprite learned about ages ago. the ores represent their strength. but sprite's been called a thief on more than one occasion. she's known to steal fresh-kill, herbs, and kittens from clans without remorse. she's created a lot of enemies for the rust belt and it's gotten dangerous for them. there are bounty hunters out for sprite and her entourage. the entourage includes dalliance, which is why our goal is to get her here as soon as possible."
"that's... that's a lot to take in. so are you guys the first cats that dalliance is sending to us?" magpieflight questioned.
antlercrash nodded. "it would appear to be that way. if you'll have us, we'd love to stay. you're part of the rust belt family, cavernstar, and we'd like to keep the best of us together."
cavernstar stood, pressing his cheek to morningstripe's and then to antlercrash's. "of course. you belong here. welcome to spruceclan, my friends."
- ✫✫✫✫✫✫✫✫✫✫✫
magpieflight was woken up by the voice of waspwing impatiently calling her name from just outside the den.
"magpieflight! please wake up! this is important!"
with a sigh, the molly stood and stretched before facing the young warrior. "what?" she mewed, eyes narrowed in an attempt to shade her sight from the sun. "what could possibly be so important?"
"just come on, you don't have time to ask questions!" before magpieflight could protest, the energetic tom had began to make his way down towards the valley. the molly sighed once more as she pushed her way out of her den, following behind the young warrior. once she finally caught up with him, however, she was faced with a new cat- someone she had never met before. surrounding the thin tom were now waspwing, swiftberry, and twitenose.
"what's going on?" magpieflight huffed, standing tall to get a view of the new cat. the tom seemed irritated as he made eye contact with the deputy.
"i'm seeking out magpieflight. might you be her?"
"swiftberry, take your sister and go see your mom. she could always use your company," magpieflight commanded. "and waspwing, go tidy up your den. thank you for waking me." the three young warriors did as they were told, leaving magpieflight with the stranger. "yes, i'm magpieflight. what can i do for you?"
"good, yes; my name is tinysnail and your grandfather sent me," the tom said, flicking his ear. "ratbite came to me in a dream and spoke about cavernstar requesting a medicine cat for the clan you help lead. he said that the stars would lead me here, and so they did. and here i am."
for a moment, magpieflight hesitated greatly. ratbite was, in fact, her grandfather. he was the best medicine cat she had ever known, truthfully. it made sense to her that he would help spruceclan find a healer, especially if her leader had pleaded with starclan to assist them in finding one. "did he... did he say anything else?"
"he said to watch for the comets. i'm not sure what that means, but i think it's safe to assume that you do?"
magpieflight nodded. "we used to watch the stars and the comets- the comets were special. you'll have to meet with cavernstar once he returns, but i'll show you to the healer's den." and with tinysnail in tow, magpieflight headed back up towards the dens, leading him into the highest den. "this is where you'll be staying. once you're settled in, please find time to introduce yourself. cavernstar himself will hold an announcement of your presence and will likely give you a tour of the camp so you can familiarize it. we'll all be down in the valley until then, so come and find us when you're ready."
between the time tinysnail joined spruceclan and the next great cave visit, cavernstar and tinysnail had become quite good friends. this included magpieflight, too, and the three cats had quickly become close to one another. the leader and his deputy had come to appreciate the healer's snarky and sarcastic comments, and tinysnail had decided to make it his mission to break magpieflight out of her hesitant shell.
on the eastern border, antlercrash and morningstripe were sprawled out on a rock that hung over the river, the mist of the rapids relieving them of the heat from the sun. the pair had been resting there since the sun came up, it seemed.
"you know, starclan and dalliance blessed us with the freedom we've found, morningstripe." antlercrash said, pressing his nose to his mate's cheek.
"i'm just worried, my love. sprite and the loyals are ruthless and what happens if they follow us here? then we've only endangered the cats of spruceclan. they didn't ask for that, you know?" morningstripe replied. she let out a soft sigh as she stared up at the clouds.
"no, perhaps they didn't ask for that, but cavernfall knew the cost and possible dangers of us joining. he still knows, and yet he's accepted us into his life. that counts for something."
"maybe it does," morningstripe said, sitting up. "but we must call him cavernstar now, antlercrash. he is no longer the skittish kit or the impulsive warrior- he is the dedicated and fearless leader who would do anything to protect his clan."
"you're right, but we, too, are his clan now. he'll do anything to protect us." the two sat silent for a moment, morningstripe's head rested on her mate's shoulder and his rested on the top of her head.
"you know, dalliance really did us a favor, sending us here,” morningstripe hummed, her tail flicking in the sunlight. for a moment, silence fell between them as they enjoyed the company of one another. “i just hope that she’s able to make it here in one piece. i remember her talking about being here, with her best friend, for the longest time. she deserves it more than any of us.”
antlercrash nodded, his eyes scanning the rapids. “it’d be nice to see her in her comfort zone again. she brought us together- i hope that she’s able to experience the unity.”
dalliance had created a path for the cats to escape to a life of freedom and happiness- a proper clan life like most of them had once dreamed of. the rust belt became a place in which dreams went to die, but dalliance made it her mission to revive their hopes and bring the positive energy back into the hearts of her packmates. they were more important to her than being part of the most powerful pack in the forest. to her, love was worth it all.
--
with the sun beating down onto her thick coat, pearblossom pushed her way up into the apprentice den, poking her head in to search for her trainee. “peachpaw, let’s go. you have a lesson.” from within the cave, peachpaw let out a throaty groan that showed her definite displeasure. “now, peachpaw.”
the young she-cat grumbled, pushing herself to her paws and then shuffled towards the cave’s entrance. the sun made her emerald eyes glimmer, almost pulling out softer and even darker shades of green. she furrowed her brows at her mentor, holding back an irritated hiss. if she knew anything, it was that she should do her absolute best to avoid crossing pearblossom- she may look sweet, but behind the soft face and gentle voice was a stern molly who wasn’t afraid of putting someone in their place. “what lesson do we have today?” peachpaw gazed up at her mentor, brows still furrowed with the sun directly in her eyes.
“i’ll give you one of two options: the rapids or the treewall?” peachpaw hesitated, squinting further.
“the... rapids.”
without another word, pearblossom was headed down towards the camp. peachpaw audibly groaned and then quickly caught up to her mentor. “so we’re what, hunting?” she asked, keeping pace beside the long-haired molly.
pearblossom nodded, keeping her eyes on the ground to watch her step. “in the rapids, yes. you’ll be practicing in the shallow waters towards the shore. once you’re more experienced, we’ll work on swimming and then we can tackle the deeper white waters.”
the apprentice was silent for a moment before she said, “i’m a strong swimmer. we don’t have to start in the shallow water. i can handle it.”
at the base of the mountain of dens, pearblossom stopped and turned to the apprentice. “here’s what we won’t do, peachpaw. we are not going to over exaggerate and assume that we can handle something we’ve never tried before. you’re close to your warrior assessment, but you’re not close to the rapids yet. don’t let your skill and your ego get the best of you,” she paused, taking a deep breath. “that’s how you get killed.”
peachpaw stared up at her mentor, taken aback by the sudden authority in her voice. when speaking to her, the molly had been soft and sweet, even whilst ordering her out of the den. “i’m just saying i think i can han-”
“no, peachpaw. we’re going to the treewall instead. that’s final. let’s go.”
let the training begin.
the run down.
consumption-
[ spruceclan consumes 1 squirrel and 1 trout. ]
patrols-
[ shrikethorn, archshadow, and raptorgaze hunt in the rapids. ]
[badgerbelly and waspwing hunt in the treewall. ]
[ tinysnail searches for herbs. ]
[ cavernstar, antlercrash, and twitenose patrol the borders. ]
training-
[ pearblossom trains peachpaw in hunting. ]
mates-
[ antlercrash and morningstripe try for kits. ]
the great cave-
[ cavernstar requests an apprentice. ]
notes to simonpet.
✫ i love u^2
✫ i'll age up my cats for my next post, i promise ):
✫ i am so tired but my dedication to sproosclayn is-
- stronger than my desire to sleep
consumption-
[ spruceclan consumes 1 squirrel and 1 trout. ]
patrols-
[ shrikethorn, archshadow, and raptorgaze hunt in the rapids. ]
[badgerbelly and waspwing hunt in the treewall. ]
[ tinysnail searches for herbs. ]
[ cavernstar, antlercrash, and twitenose patrol the borders. ]
training-
[ pearblossom trains peachpaw in hunting. ]
mates-
[ antlercrash and morningstripe try for kits. ]
the great cave-
[ cavernstar requests an apprentice. ]
notes to simonpet.
✫ i love u^2
✫ i'll age up my cats for my next post, i promise ):
✫ i am so tired but my dedication to sproosclayn is-
- stronger than my desire to sleep
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- leader ✫ 0001
⊱ ❝cavernstar | 28m | ♂ | bio
lives: ★★★★★★★★★
deputy ✫ 0001
⊱ ❝magpieflight | 24m | ♀ | bio
healer ✫ 0001
⊱ ❝tinysnail| 43m | ♂ | bio
warriors ✫ 0010
⊱ ❝archshadow | 36m | ♂ | bio
⊱ ❝waspwing | 17m | ♂ | bio
⊱ ❝pearblossom | 53m | ♀ | bio
⊱ ❝raptorgaze | 53m | ♂ | bio
⊱ ❝badgerbelly | 47m | ♀ | bio
⊱ ❝shrikethorn | 36m | ♀ | bio
⊱ ❝swiftberry | 14m | ♂ | bio
⊱ ❝twitenose | 14m | ♀ | bio
⊱ ❝morningstripe | 49m | ♀ | bio
⊱ ❝antlercrash | 52m | ♂ | bio
⊱ ❝name | age | ♀/♂ | [url=link]b[/url]io
apprentices ✫ 0001
⊱ ❝peachpaw | 7m | ♀ | bio
⊱ ❝name | age | ♀/♂ | [url=link]b[/url]io
queens ✫ 0000
⊱ ❝name | age | ♀ | [url=link]b[/url]io
↪ kit names
⊱ ❝name | age | ♀ | [url=link]b[/url]io
↪ kit names
kits ✫ 0000
⊱ ❝name | age | ♀/♂ | [url=link]b[/url]io
⊱ ❝name | age | ♀/♂ | [url=link]b[/url]io
elders ✫ 0000
⊱ ❝name | age | ♀/♂ | [url=link]b[/url]io
⊱ ❝name | age | ♀/♂ | [url=link]b[/url]io
- ally clans ✫ 0000
clan name | username
clan name | username
enemy clans ✫ 0000
clan name | username
clan name | username
borders ✫ 1/4 filled
northwest | clan | username
north | clan | username
northeast | clan | username
east | clan | username
south | clan | username
southeast | clan | username
southwest | clan | username
west | groveclan | solyn
herb storage
borage | x0 | milk/fevers/bellyache
catmint | x0 | green/whitecough
cobwebs | x0 | bleeding/broken bones
goldenrod | x0 | heals wounds
raspberry leaves | x0 | ease pain/stop bleeding
fresh-kill storage
sparrow | x0 | 3 servings
quail | x0 | 3 servings
bluegill | x0 | 2 servings
squirrel | x1 | 2 servings
trout | x1 | 3 servings
frog | x0 | 1 servings
mentors
pearblossom + peachpaw | 1 sessions
↪ battle, moves, moves, moves
mentor | app | #/training sessions | moves
graveyard
cat name | cod
cat name | cod
families
morningstripe + antlercrash | none (yet!)
name + name | kits
