[ ─ zodiac chronicles | wc rp ]

[radio.active.]

i. sixty-seven moons
ii. moonclan deputy

tags the clan
mentions tigerstar, cinderfrost

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indentThunderheart was at a complete and utter loss. He was so used to having all of the answers, knowing exactly
what to do and how to do it. But right now, as his yellow eyes remained transfixed where the cat of moonlight had
stood in his dream just a few heartbeats before, the tom was more confused than he could ever recall being. Thank
the stars his jaw wasn't hanging open; he wasn't sure he would be able to play that off in any way.
indentThey had a ques, he told himself. A quest that had been clearly assigned, and passed directly from the stars.
At least, it sort of was. While there had been no baffling omen - no pitch sky, no burning forest - the words that the
starry cat spoke were beyond confusing. They had spoken of twelve cats, though Thunderheart was beyond certain
that there had been more faces than that surrounding the bright cat.
indentSleep still fogged his eyes as the great tabby tom rose and left the warrior's den. Others were already awake,
though a notable many were outright missing. He searched the buzzing crowd frantically, letting out a sight of relief
when his eyes fell upon Tigerstar and Cinderfrost. Only a moment later though, a his eyes had finally circled back to
the beginning, his optimism deflated. The striped pelt of his dear younger sister was nowhere to be found. Softheather
had not been asleep in her corner nest in the den, and her missing presence in the clearing could only mean that she
had been one of those taken.
indentIt took every ounce of will and self-control that Thunderheart had to not sink to the earth and cry out to the
stars above. He had to keep it together just as much as Tigerstar and Cinderfrost would. So, without any other options, Thunderheart slipped into the façade of a tom that actually had an idea of what to do. Leaping up onto the highrock,
Thunderheart began to take a count of who remained. A fair few of the clan remained, primarily - if not all - warriors,
but the fretful milling and mixing of pelts made it increasingly difficult to determine which cats remained.
indent"Who is still with us?" The tom's voice bellowed over the din of the clan.

[ArtyAlpha]

ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ° clan ... ᴛᴀɢꜱ ° the clan, thunderheart ... ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ° the clan, cinderfrost, thunderheart

Tigerstar watched the puddle intensely and didn't bare a word, even when whispers arose from the clan [yet quickly silenced] she remained unwavered with her attention to the glowing feline within the waters reflection. Only time she looked away was when she heard the towel and chasing paws of her medicine cat, Cinderfrost. A soft gasp was all she managed to escape from her lips before the leader felt a strong sensation of warmth along her pelt, seeping into her body. She fell limp where she stood and all the emotions that engulfed her from before, seemed to wash away. After a seeming moment, Tigerstar sat back up, but she was not at the scorched black earth of where her clan used to be. Now she was alone, but she felt like she was being watched by eyes invisible to her own. Standing, Tigerstar heard whispers. The voices were almost recognisable “My little stripe-” a voice she knew echoed a little louder than the rest “Mother??” the feline cried out into the abyss of darkness. A feeling of warmth engulfed her senses once more. She felt love. Acceptance. But as fast as she arrived, Tigerstar felt herself seem to drop to her stomach and as if her body was being pulled down by gravity stronger than she had ever know. She tried to wail for help but no sound escaped her lips. Closing her eyes to force herself up from the weight on her, Tigerstar shot her eyes back open with a gasp as she realised she was back. A dream? It felt so real… Perking her ears to the familiar sound of her deputy, Tigerstar stood and shook the dirt off her pelt and stretched out her limps. The leader glanced around the clan. It was almost half… Missing. Her head perked and she continued to scan, but this time hoping to find a familiar face or scent… They were gone… All her brothers and sisters… And mother… Was that her? Calling from the stars for Tigerstar to save them? A moon cycle. That is all the time they had to complete this quest. Tigerstar could feel her heart sink in worry. She could never be a good enough leader to guide her clan… She was always right. She was never ready…

ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ° clan ... ᴛᴀɢꜱ ° the clan ... ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ° the clan

With a dull yet concerned expression, Spottedfire sat at the further back of the others. His attention mostly to the puddle but occasionally his eyes wandered along the vast scorch blackness that used to be his home. His ears dropped and he felt sad. Very sad. So many cats were gone and now they had to go save them… As he was lost in his thoughts, Spottedfire felt his eyes grow heavy. His resistance was futile as his body succumbed to a sleep induced not upon his own accord. As he awoke in a strange, almost mystical forest, it was by a river, light shining through the trees and the grass beneath his feet was so soft and lush. Mice would have a field day here. Spottedfire looked around but found no sign of life. Slowly, he stood and wandered to the edge of the river, as he peered to the rippling water, the reflection of the stars almost seemed to move, to dance. Spottedfire watch in awe as the stars then began to drift along the sky, reshaping into some form he did not recognise yet believed he should have. It was familiar yet he had never seen such a symbol before. Quickly awoken, Spottedfire perked his head up from the ashy earth. He noticed he was back home, cats surrounded the area either asleep or awake. Spottedfire let his ears drop and rested his head on his paws, closing his eyes and hoping this was a nightmare.

[Euthymios]

ＰＹＴＨＯＮＳＨＡＤＥ
xxI. warrior II. capricorn III. hydrokinesis IV. many at once

Anarchy reigned.
indentAsh and darkness coated the “camp” in a dark grey shroud, smothering even the smallest wails of the kits that were in the nursery; the detritus of what the dark tabby molly had formerly called home crunched under-paw as she swept forward to examine the ruin. The smoky odor of burning wood, the tongues of flames, wafted from the fallen brambles that could’ve once held the warriors den, singing Pythonshade’s senses and lungs, making her gag inwardly. It took her an even longer moment to simply…process what had happened, and that she wasn’t blinded. It was as if the heavenly beings of starclan above had suddenly tired of their presence, and decided to smite them from this earth. The entirety of the camp had been carved away in a mosaic of purposeful ruin; the sheer depth of the devastation was absolutely unfathomable. Thankfully, it didn’t appear that anyone was hurt, or injured; most were shaken by how easy it was to rip away all that they had known. Pythonshade’s fur prickled along her spine, the blast of lightning that had ripped away their home as they knew it only making the dreary shadows around her feel more intrusive. It wormed its way into her mind, pressing upon her pelt with phantom fingers. In fact, she would’ve felt less confined within the warriors den, or even inside her nest, where there was little space to begin with. The warriors were a large group, as is.
indentThe blackness had turned her to a creature of the night. She shook out her pelt; the darkness stayed like a second pelt; an inky expanse across her entire being. She might as well have been sucked into the dreary vortex above.
indent‘Deep breaths.’ Pythonshade felt her entire frame shaking with fretful unease as she tried to force air into her lungs. Reality, as she knew it, had been turned upside down, all of her cells that were screaming for order were on absolute overdrive. Because there was no order to be found here. She could see the faint silhouette of crows circling around the camp, their harsh caw-caws only casting a more sinister light aura over the camp. Crows could only indicate one thing; death. Death, or an omen of the already dying. She could’ve sneezed on their cold scent even from down here. They roosted upon the very rims of the crater, mere shadows against the even darker planes of the night. What was darker than a crow’s wing? In the haze, kits cried for their mothers, and the once resolute moonclan shifted and murmured like a group of frightened mice. Anything could be lurking out there, with fangs ready to rip and tear into their prey. Foxes, badgers, hawks…need she continue?
indentWhere was Tigerstar? Or their deputy, Thunderheart, for that matter? Pythonshade’s anxiety only increased, as she dared her first steps into the center of the crater. There was no moon to illuminate the camp now, and the miasmic blackness that enveloped her senses made her feel as if she was in a terrible claustrophobic nightmare.
indentA nightmare! A nightmare! Was this all a terrible dream?
indentHad she simply gone blind by a curse from Starclan? She wanted to disregard blindness, with the explosions, the dust, the flames, as if the very earth had tried to swallow them up, to erase their presence. The tabby was vaguely aware that the other cats were in a similar state of confusion. But, as her eyes scanned through them, she realized their numbers were greatly diminished. There used to be so much more of them, and their voices drifted over her like a lake. In fact, they all seemed to be very far away from her. Every breath, Pythonshade monitored this.
indentPythonshade had never been quite fazed by nightmares; or the horrific visions that oftentimes plagued her during the black hours of the night. They visited her often; breaking her mind away in chips while they assaulted her senses. While it did send her into fretful disdain, night after night, Pythonshade had learned to meet them head on with dull, dreary diligence. The fact remained that the only sign that she even had nightmares was the disdainful lingering air that pervaded all her actions, and her speech.
indentFrom what she could tell so far, after taking more of a take on her “surroundings”, she had entered a sort of limbo. Or a void, with the small pinpricks of light - stars - above glittering coldly above her head. The celestial display was neatly complemented by the round, full moon in the center of the pool. It was the sole source of light, yet it did nothing to dispel the darkness around them.
indentPythonshade wasn’t even asleep, nor was she dead, but her paws were not suffused with the energy of life.
indentA glow emerged at last-effulgent and cutting-as if it could stand the darkness no longer. It drove the darkness back with a passion, burning with such brazen conviction that Pythonshade’s very eyes felt like they were burning along with them; a sensation that led to pinpricks of pain behind her eyes. The pain and … awe only grew as the moon in the center of the pool began to shift and change shape; yielding the ethereal cat - no deity that stepped from the mirage with almost unnaturally seamless movement. Moonlight incarnate.

indentThey were beyond beautiful.

indent“Listen to me. Hear me, hear me clearly.” They commanded. Their voice was neither old and young, sweet and dreadful, soft and harsh all at once. It was not a voice of this universe. In fact, Pythonshade knew that even her most fevered dreams could not have conjured such a tenor. The ethereal white eyes, all-seeing and brilliant, passed over them all; Pythonshade had never felt so stripped bare when they landed on her, despite passing quickly. Could one say they were commanding? All eyes of the summoned cats were on their ethereal visitor; silence hung over them all like a shroud.
indent“Perhaps this is merely a dream, perhaps it isn’t.” They continued, beseeching, patient and yet calling to them, ”You’re now alone regardless and you all are stuck here. Whether this is real or not, you cannot escape from your destiny. Your quest. You’ve all been spared of the destruction of your clan, though the reasons of the cause of this I cannot begin to explain.”
indentAnd this was where the real shock set in for her — and those gathered. Shock, and something bordering on anxiety coaxed Pythonshade’s pelt till it bristled on her spine in what she could only describe as … hostility? Or survivor’s guilt? How had her clan been left to waste when she was here? The unease and confusion of her clanmates at the cryptic allusion to their clanmates’ fate gradually crescendoed like a tide. What have you done? What have you done? What have you done? Pythonshade’s pelt rose in rhythm with the hostile tidings of this incandescent being.
indent“Silence!” It shrieked, and the world ignited. Pythonshade was jolted; the whole clearing shook as blinding light struck the earth with such fury it silenced them all at one blow. “You ignorant souls!” raged the spirit, “Listen to me if you even wish to see your clan again. Your clan has not seen its last day yet, but if you wish to see them again you must fulfil this quest: Find the twelve which have the power to save your beloved clan. The Twelve Zodiacs are your only hope to save your clan. You will face a long journey and many challenges you will face. You’ll see and hear things worse and better than you could have ever imagined, but do not fall for the traps that lie in wait for you. Do not merely trust anything, yet do not run from anything either. I must warn you that one mistake could cost you…” The … wait what? Zodiacs? Pythonshade tucked that detail away later to speak with Cinderfrost, who had more experience with celestial related jargon than anyone in the clan. “You have no choice but to accept this quest. And you should not be wasting time, as you have exactly until the next full moon to complete it.” The glow was fading now; the darkness that replaced its absence only more opaque and ominous than before. “Do not fear. Fear is the worst thing you can bring into this realm.” The feline sighed, a gentle, mournful sound that echoed across the grove. Tendrils of incandescent moonlight reached for them, a joyous and comely sight if the circumstances had been better. Where they touched her, the darkness withdrew, and a powerful burning sensation exploded upon contact; as if a wildfire had swept through her. The flames brought her light and pain, opening her jaws wide. The pain disappeared as quick as it came, with the ground fluidly sweeping under her feet as the brown tabby tumbled toward unconsciousness.
────────
indentIt wasn’t even her dream that woke Pythonshade from her slumber, as much as it was the raucous din that had enveloped the warriors den. Both were harsh enough that while they grounded her in the present, they allowed for the most rude awakening. Blinking past the harsh sunlight that assaulted her sense with almost the same intensity as the moonlight, trying to forget the mysterious sea-goat from her dreams. He’d called himself capricornus, or capricorn. Frankly speaking, she was still trying to digest all of what she’d seen, when Cinderfrost came hurtling into the den, hysterical beyond belief. Well, that was something … unusual, for the medicine cat to descend into panic instead of reason. Almost at the same moment, one of the warriors who slept at the very left edge of the den, Maplefall, woke up spitting and hissing from … yes precisely the same dream. Maybe. The molly groaned inwardly to herself. The morning sunlight beckoned, and given that the next full moon was an imminent event, they needed to get moving. Quickly. Now!
indentBut why couldn’t the world be quiet for once? Even if she had woken up past dawn?
indent5…4…3…2…1 Pythonshade heaved herself off her warm nest, wawy from the tantalizing comfort of her nest. Paws suddenly unsteady where they rested on the cool stone. The camp setting was identical…deceptively so…because this wasn’t where she should be. Her normally vivacious mind felt cold and hollow, with a stream blocked by a dam. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the usual desperation to do something began to itch in her paws. Taking her first steps outside the den, Pythonshade was met with the full brunt of the noise, crashing against her like a maelstrom of noise. Voices clamored and argued and shouted to be heard, rising louder and louder with each passing heartbeat. Good star clan. If there was one thing she could not stand, one thing that she could loathe beyond words, it was crowds. No cat had noticed, yet, that she had emerged from the den. She sat down, rather heavily in fact, the frustration that obviously came with helplessness burning into her pelt until it was ruffled with agitation.
indentYeah, and the noise wasn’t helping.

ＴＵＬＩＰＭＩＳＴ
xxI. medicine cat apprentice II. pisces III. enhanced senses IV. cinderfrost; foxshine

– likely asleep / sorting herbs in the den. will wake up next time -

[whispersome]

— BRIGHTWISH ♓︎
Tags: Palebird, open | Mentions: Cinderfrost, Tigerstar, Foxshine, Thunderheart, Valleyrunner, MoonClan

Wincing somewhat from Cinderfrost’s inspection, Brightwish brought himself back to his paws just as she hurried off. She was far more frantic than he had ever seen her act; part of him wanted to follow after her as she rushed toward their leader, but it was clear there were more important things on her mind. Brightwish’s heart continued to pound, the only remnant of his dream that picked up the more aware he became of the situation. The moon-cat, that ethereal being who’d given them a quest—that all had to be real. What about the fish he’d seen, the message they’d given him?

Brightwish shook himself. He could think about this later; what mattered now was the clan. Foxshine was closest to him, and Brightwish gave him a sympathetic look, as Foxshine was clearly shaken from the rude awakening. With the way the clan was clustered together, it was difficult to pick out individual pelts from there—aside from Thunderheart’s, standing proud and firm above him, though Brightwish couldn’t seem to raise his voice enough to confirm his presence—but Brightwish’s eyes wandered from cat to cat, hope flickering in and out as he registered that yes, he did know some of these cats, and a few of his friends were among them—but none of his kin was. Brightwish’s tail hung between his legs in defeat. It was true that he had drifted from his parents and siblings in recent moons, but they were still a family.

But. But! Brightwish’s mind, always so occupied with the bright side of things—his name may have originated from the shine of his eyes, but it had more than one meaning now—swiveled to desperately get ahold of some more positive thoughts. He wasn’t alone anymore, and though there were some cats among them he was on shakier terms with (Valleyrunner’s silver fur, for one, caught his gaze), this was still his clan, just not all of it. And if the words of the moon-cat weren’t to be taken lightly, then they had to depend on each other to make it out of this.

With a quick swallow, Brightwish decided to follow in Cinderfrost’s lead and push his way through the bodies. It seemed that most of the other cats were beginning to awaken on their own, but he could see no reason not to expedite the process, he reasoned as he scurried over to Palebird. The motion stirring memories of his days as an apprentice, Brightwish made to nudge his former mentor and current friend awake with his nose.

— MAPLEFALL ♒︎
Tags: Thunderheart, Widowcroak, open | Mentions: Pythonshade, Cinderfrost, Tigerstar, MoonClan

Maplefall’s body shuddered with a dull ache as she stood, clicking sounds resounding from her joints. (Perhaps she was beginning to get too old for this sort of thing.) Memories of her dream lurked at the back of her mind, but she was distracted from thinking too hard about it—or what had occurred just before she’d slept—by Thunderheart’s call.

“I’m here, Thunderheart,” she said, ears perking up. Her eyes shot around the group, doing a quick head count, as difficult as it was when so many among their number were still unconscious. It was a bit unnerving to see, really. “And counting you and myself, it seems as if there are twenty-four of us.” Though she had seen Pythonshade slip away, and it seemed as if Cinderfrost and Tigerstar were involved in their own discussion as well.

She was no deputy (not yet, anyway), but in her opinion, what was important now was getting what clanmates remained awake and figuring out what in StarClan was happening—and perhaps if any of them had had dreams, too. Had they all a role to fulfill in this quest? Now that she was more alert, Maplefall’s mind rushed with ideas.

She didn’t bother waiting for orders before moving to fulfill them. Most other cats were stirring by now, either waking on their own or being nudged awake by their fellow clanmates. The first cat still sleeping Maplefall saw was Widowcroak, sides rising and falling with steady breaths, and it was instinct that sent Maplefall walking toward her. Maplefall knew she was stronger than this, at least.

[Queen of flames]

Shadebird
she - Gemini - Dark wind manipulation - crush: Aspenfire
talking with:

She was laying at her nest or what was left of it, she was tired, she was always tired nowadays, she had problems to sleep after what happened to Moonclan. Her body wanted to sleep for so long time, but her brains were afraid to get to sleep, as she was being slept than when the horrible things happened and she blames herself for it, not wanting it to happen again. Last night her sleepless nights get too much to her body and she falls to sleep, for what? only to get the weirdest dream she never got before. She didn't get the dream, she didn't even want to think about it, so she ignored it or tried to as the words haunted her mind only to giving her some questions 'what it means? Or did it mean nothing?' she wondered as she walked to see the other few cats there. She flicked her ears giving a sight when she overheard Thunderheart's question, which was so stupid, but it didn't make her laugh, she was way too depressed for that ' How I am still alive when so many are gone? is this a punishment? Much to be' she thought herself.

[Euthymios]

𝐏 𝐲 𝐭 𝐡 𝐨 𝐧 𝐬 𝐡 𝐚 𝐝 𝐞
xxI. warrior II. capricorn III. hydrokinesis IV. fallencloud

previous post here

[ 1870 words ]

𝐓 𝐮 𝐥 𝐢 𝐩 𝐦 𝐢 𝐬 𝐭
xxI. medicine app II. pisces III. enhanced senses IV. cinderfrost, foxshine, thunderheart (ment.)

Tulipmist had never felt so disoriented in her entire life.
indentIt had happened too fast really. One minute she had been sorting out the herbs she’d gathered earlier in the medicine den, casually humming a tune to herself, and the next? Half of her clan had been taken away from her, banished to starclan knows where. She didn’t even remember screaming out loud when that first blast of lightning had come down like the judge’s gavel upon their guilty verdict. Tulipmist felt shaken. To her core. To her left and right, cats yowled and shrieked, raving madly, their usual routine and demeanors jostled and thrown aside in the face of this disaster. It was for this reason that Tulipmist hated change.
indentTil the next full moon?
indentThey’d been given, what? Four, approximately five moons to find twelve spirits on some panicked whim? Tulipmist would’ve whimpered out loud, her fur puffing up in both dismay and discomfort. She, on the whole, wasn’t a very assertive cat. This was precisely the type of situation that she did poorly in, with loud noises and harsh words flying every which way with no end or motive in sight. It changed too fast; one moment she was in the ‘in-between,’ then she had once again been spirited away to meet the zodiac spirits, her eyes still half-blind from the lightning the zodiac had used to call them all to them to order.
indentThen, she was back here. In the waking world, all perfectly normal and unharmed. Or so it seemed. Tulipmist woke with a whimper, her limbs spastically jerking and her fur puffed up against some imaginary threat. The golden, comely light of the sun grazed her pelt with the love of a mother. But it was this sun that was rising in a different world; rising on a clan that was now hallmarked with misfortune, blinded by worry. There was one thing, however, that nearly took away what self-control she had altogether.
indentNymphmoon, her father, was gone. Starclan had taken him away from her.
indentA low sob ripped from her, tears dampening the fur on her cheeks as she pressed her cheek into the moss that lined her nest within the medicine den. The reality that the one member of her family left…stripped from her and now held on a ransom for a thought and a panicked whim sent a burst of grief into her system. The intoxicating scent of catmint, to her left, as well as of other herbs soon failed to bring her attention away from her woes. She sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her paws, sniffling quietly. It would not do for her to be whimpering like a kit, although Tulipmist was sure that what the mental state that she was suffering from held true for the rest of her clan. They were all hurt or confused, maybe more so than she was. But, most importantly to a medicine cat like her, they were likely injured. It did seemed unlikely - before - that the spirit cat would’ve been able to hurt them physically, but all of her beliefs.
indent“Where are you, Star clan, when we need you?” Tulipmist prayed silently, “What have we done, so that you would do this to us?” Like most clanborn cats, Tulipmist’s faith in her spiritual ancestors was unshakeable, having been ground into her skull since she was a kit. She had been taught that they were the ultimate guardians in the galaxy, that they watched over all cats, from leader to deputy, from warrior to apprentice, queens to kits, and even the rogues who’d once had a path with moonclan before they left. She like to believe that they even watched over her wayward Mother, and her new half-siblings.
indentThe den was abandoned, indicating that Cinderfrost had likely woken up and was attending to her morning duties as the clan healer. A warm feeling spread from her heart to the tips of her paws at the thought of the motherly molly. Tulipmist looked up to Cinderfrost greatly, not just as a capable and clear-headed medicine cat, but also as one of the finest teachers in the clan. If there was one cat that the tabby molly could count on for advice in extenuating circumstances as this one was, it was her mentor. A tendril of hope blossomed within her chest, and she quickly arose from her nest, giving her pelt a quick grooming before she poked her head out to look for her mentor. The situation outside was out of hand, to say the least, and Tulipmist winced as all the loud shouting assaulted her ears. For some reason, it seemed to be louder than usual, barging against her ears and eyes. She could see the domineering form of Thunderheart above on the highrock attempting to maintain some semblance of order, and failing. Her whiskers twitched in chagrin as she noticed his irked expression. What a challenge this must pose for the deputy…
indentThings were going to be okay.
indentShe hoped so, at least.

[ ### words ]

[wildsight]

✦ ────── 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓
xxx age; 38 ms gender; male rank; warrior sign; scorpio tagged; no one mentioned; everyone, pretty much




XXXLight. Fire. Darkness.

XXXXXIt all happened so fast, Dunecrest could hardly believe it. He still wasn’t sure he did believe it. It had all begun with a flash of light, one that was beyond blinding, as if he had turned his eyes toward the sun and kept them there. The scent of something burning - many things burning - wafted into the air, into his nose which caused him to choke and gasp for fresher, cleaner air. The yowls and cries of his clanmates was the worst of it all. Their voices blended together into something he wished to never hear, a mass of yowls in which all cried together in confusion, pain and most of all fear. At last, the tom couldn’t stand it any longer and let out a yowl of his own - his clanmates, his home. What was happening to them and what could he do to stop it? The answer was simple. Nothing. There was nothing in the world that he could do about it, not even with the aid of the stars above. It felt like it went on forever, until finally, finally - quiet rested upon them. Silence rested upon them. Darkness rested upon them and everything was still.
XXXXXDunecrest wasn’t sure if he was awake or if he was merely dreaming. Everything was dark, no matter where he looked. Olive green eyes flickered to and fro, though no matter where they landed, no specific form was ever visible. He quickly realized that darkness had settled upon the land. Not only that, but darkness had settled upon himself as well, his once pale colored pelt was now black, no one could ever tell that the tom was any color otherwise. He blinked once, twice before he slowly rose to his paws, whiskers quivering. The darkness wasn’t even the worst part. The silence was. No matter where the tom looked, no matter how much he strained his ears, everything was silent. There was no noise to be heard. No birds chirping, no insects buzzing. No sound that suggested that his clanmates were still alive. Alive? What was he thinking. They certainly couldn’t be dead, not if he was still alive. But as the tom cautiously took a few steps, his confidence in this theory quickly began to ebb away.
XXXXXThe tom inhaled, though shakily so. His gaze turned skyward, the only place that had some sort of light. It was almost as if the sky above mocked the land below, as the sky shined brightly while the land below might as well be forgotten about. What in Starclan’s name? The tom said to himself, whipping around to stare about him. Certainly this all must be a dream. But even if it was, he wasn’t liking it one bit. The tom hesitantly began to seat himself upon the ground, before leaping up at sudden movement nearby. His gaze flickered over to the form, realizing it to be a fellow clanmate. Alas! He wasn’t alone. Though you’d never know it from his gaze, the tom didn’t want to be the last cat alive. Those that rose around him looked just as disoriented as himself, though they all clearly bore the same question. What had happened to them? Before he could question this any further, a sudden light caught his attention - the mere puddle that always sat in the center of the camp. The sight both amazed and horrified him, but least to say it didn’t keep him from approaching it.

XXXXXThe pale tabby tom was among those that stayed further back from the small pool of water, he wasn’t about to get too close to it. As the moon danced upon its clear surface, it shifted to appear as one of their own, speaking of all that had happened, quite the tragedy that was told. As the mysterious spirit explained their situation, Dunecrest found himself growing skeptical and irritated. First of all: who was this strange cat and who said it had any right to tell them what to do? Clearly, it wasn’t a Starclan cat. So who’s to say he has any need to listen to it? The tom slowly pushed his way through the crowd of cats, inching closer to the pool of water as the cat continued to speak. As if sensing his displeasure, a bolt of lightning struck around the pool, causing the tom to leap back. His pelt stood on end, though he was quick to let it lie flat. He wasn’t about to show any fear, not in front of this strange, so-called spirit. Or in front of his clanmates for that matter. Dunecrest now mostly half-listened to the moon spirit, it was clear that he was beyond skeptical with this whole situation. It had said this could very well be a dream, but then again it could be very real. Even so he was supposedly stuck here regardless. The thought simply put a sour taste in his mouth. Perhaps if it had been an actual Starclan cat, then he’d be more willing to believe it, but this particular feline (could you even call it that?) was speaking nonsense. Zodiacs! Who had ever heard of such things? Least to say, who had ever said that such things existed? He never remembered his parents speaking of such things. Nonetheless, as not to have a repeat of prior events, the tom merely sat there, paws shuffling among the blackened dirt and finally the spirit bid them farewell. Wait. That was-
XXXXXA flash of pain seared through the tom. Before the tom could even finish the thought, darkness overcame him once again. But this darkness was merely slumber, though it was anything but dreamless.

XXXXXWhen Dunecrest awoke again he was in yet another dark space. Great...just let me wake up already. The tom’s eyes flickered about, before settling upon a form in front of him. It was quite the odd creature, though the tom didn’t dare approach it. It seemed to speak to him, yet it didn’t bother to open its mouth. "Dunecrest...Dunecrest..." The words echoed in his head, which was particularly annoying to the tom. Let me out of this dream! He cried, though it was in his head as well. He couldn’t open his mouth, he discovered and worst of all, couldn’t wake up from this nightmare. He stared into the eyes of the foreign creature, though he quickly began to feel rather odd. He couldn’t pull his gaze away. His breaths came in short gasps, the tom fighting the whole thing with everything he didn’t have. Once more he screamed to make it all stop, before he finally passed out again.

XXXXXSeriously, all this passing out was quickly becoming old. Yet when the tom opened his eyes for the third time, he was glad that he was able to see...light. Light. Alas, the sun existed once more! For a brief moment, the tom believed that it all truly had been a dream...until he glanced down at his paws. Black paws. Black dirt. Horror struck the tom, eyes widening ever so slightly. No. No! It truly hadn’t been a dream...unless he was still in it. The words of the mysterious moon cat rushed back to him, though he quickly pushed those thoughts away. He wasn’t going to believe it. He wouldn’t believe it. Was this some cruel joke by Starclan or something? He wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t going to believe it until someone proved it to him.
XXXXXThe tom was currently lying on the ground in an awkward position, though he quickly rolled over and arose. His whiskers twitched as his gaze quickly scanned his surroundings, seeing everyone else huddled near each other for the most part. A good amount of cats were still here, but plenty more were still missing. Cinderfrost and Tigerstar seemed to be chatting, while everyone else sat alone for the most part. Blinking, Dunecrest slinked away and laid down, further away from the group. His ears flicked as he wrapped his tail around his side, eyes narrowed as he watched the rest from afar. Surely, they weren’t believing this whole situation too? Then again, how could one not? Well...as far as he was concerned he wasn’t, no matter how real it seemed, he was convinced that something (or rather someone) was behind this. And he’d find out exactly whom that might be soon enough.

XXXXXUnless...he didn’t.

[tawneypelt0504]

Echobreeze
She-cat|28 moons|Cancer|Mentions:Clan|Tags:Open
As Echobreeze listened visibly aghast to what the starry cat was saying why was the clan being punished? What had they done to deserve it?. Just as she was about to ask the starry cat some of her questions she felt a burning pain consuming her before she fell asleep. In her dream, she woke up and found a starry cat with a strange symbol on its chest standing over her. Echobreeze scrambled back her ears pinned against her head and her fur standing on end "W-who are you" She stuttered out. The cat then began to speak to her but it was like it was speaking underwater "I-I'm sorry but I can't understand you" She replied shakily still on edge. Before the cat could respond she suddenly jumped awake, she was still incredibly fearful and her fur was still standing on end. She immediately headed towards the clearing taking note of which cats were still around, relieved to see some of her friends. She settled down away from the others to see if she could get a hold of her frazzled nerves.

Lynxfrost
Tom|40 moons|Libra|Mentions:Clan|Tags:
Lynxfrost sat calmly listening to the starry cat only his slitted pupils revealing how fearful he was. He couldn't believe that this was happening she searched around looking for a sign of his sisters or brother hoping that he would be able to find them before completing his search he felt a great pain take him over he yowled out in pain before falling asleep. He woke up and found a starry cat similar to the one that talked to the remnant of the clan before only this one had a strange mark on its chest. "Lynxfrost, you and your clanmates have been tasked with finding the twelve zodiac signs" The starry cat said to him in with a clear voice that slightly echoed in the empty space they were in "You must find them all or there will be dire consequences." Before Lynxfrost could respond he found his eyes shooting open and he was sitting in the warrior's den, he immediately rushed out to see if he could find his siblings. As he began to search for his siblings he felt a well of sadness opening up within him the longer he couldn't find him and he eventually settled down away from everyone else to get his thoughts in order. he began to dig his claws into the ground doing his best to stay calm he took a deep breath knowing that lashing out wouldn't do anything to bring them back but keeping his emotions in check would keep him from wasting precious time.

[Animedere]

❝ ─── 𝙑𝙞𝙭𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥 ❞
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i. Tom ii. 30 Moons iii. Warrior v. Bisexual | Biromantic vi. Relations vii. No Mate viii. The Clan? . . .
ix. 1224 words ( got lazy, sorry ;w; )
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xxxxToday was definitely different unlike other days, Vixenstep was sleeping in the den when suddenly everything started to turn dark. Confused, Vixenstep narrowed his eyes then a flash of light blinded him. And soon, a toxic scent of smoke filled through the air causing him to choke and cough, desperately trying to find clean breathable air. Hearing the faint cries of the rest of the clan meant he wasn’t the only one and this was no dream. What’s going on?! He shouted in his head, he really demanded for an answer. Suddenly, everything was quiet. A feeling of unease had entered him and everything was dark. The ink was slowly getting to his pelt and Vixenstep was rather disgusted, not knowing what this substance was. Waiting patiently, he got impatient “ What’s going on?! Where am I?! “ he thought, he demanded for an answer, looking around yet again, there were no signs for anyone. Is Starclan punishing him? Or worse, cursing him for whatever reason? Perhaps this was a dream, or nightmare, to put it. Looking around the void a bit more, the stars shining causes him to pause for a second. They looked gorgeous, could this have been a sign? “Listen to me. Hear me, hear me clearly.” it finally spoke. The voice didn’t ring a bell, this definitely isn’t a prank from a clanmate the voice sounds like no other. Even though whoever finally spoke up, Vixenstep still stayed silent. He decided to wait this about a bit, see what in Starclan's name it wanted to do with him or the others of the Moonclan. His thoughts soon had cut off after it continued to speak. “Perhaps this is merely a dream, perhaps it isn’t. You’re now alone regardless and you all are stuck here. Whether this is real or not, you cannot escape from your destiny. Your quest. You’ve all been spared of the destruction of your clan, though the reasons of the cause of this I cannot begin to explain.`` '' A quest? . . . Why is this necessary? . . “ He thought, though the voice made it clear they weren’t going to specify why the quest had to be done. Though what did it mean it spared us from the destruction of the clan? Keeping all these events in his head, he heard it speak again. “Silence! “ it cried out, then a bolt of lightning striked out of nowhere which caused him to immediately flinch back, though it hasn't harmed him anyway what-so-ever. “You ignorant souls! Listen to me if you even wish to see your clan again.” It shouted, it seemed angered. Vixenstep was frustrated, he doesn’t like to be insulted and threatened in such a way. Though it wasn’t just this that frustrated him in general, then he waited for the voice to continue. “ Your clan has not seen its last day yet, but if you wish to see them again you must fulfil this quest: Find the twelve which have the power to save your beloved clan. The Twelve Zodiacs are your only hope to save your clan. You will face a long journey and many challenges you will face. You’ll see and hear things worse and better than you could have ever imagined, but do not fall for the traps that lie in wait for you. Do not merely trust anything, yet do not run from anything either. I must warn you that one mistake could cost you…”

↳xxxxVixenstep didn’t like the sound of that, clearly they were pressed and forced to do this quest, no wasn’t an option at this point. The zodiacs? . . He should probably get more information on them with the others specifically from Cinderfrost later. He began to pause for a moment, he was still very confused but, what do they have anything to do with him or the clan? Why should he care? How is he sure that the zodiacs could possibly save their clan from this serious situation. Though, he wasn't going to fully doubt them. Perhaps they could help them in the end. “You have no choice but to accept this quest. And you should not be wasting time, as you have exactly until the next full moon to complete it.” In any normal situation, Vixenstep would have responded like “ What makes you think I have to do it? “ But in a do it or fate situation, he will be determined to do whatever it takes. Though a moon wasn’t a lot of time, he wasn’t sure if he could complete this quest with that much time on his paws. Surely asking for more time wouldn’t make a difference, so he just looked down and nodded a bit. “Do not fear. Fear is the worst thing you can bring into this realm.” It sighed, the sigh began to echo then fade. Those words didn’t really assure him much though, knowing they were being pressured to do this for the sake of the clan didn’t help keep him calm. How did they expect him to stay normal after they threaten them? Nothing made sense, does anything ever though at this point? “I will now bestow on you the blessing in which to survive this treacherous land and the others will do the rest.” He then watched as the spirit closed its eyes, before a gentle light flowed from the moon itself, casting a glow to his soul. He then felt a bit of warmth, continuing to watch the spirit fade into the abyss. “Farewell my brethren, may the Stars above light your path.” And slowly it fully faded. He then blinked staring, not knowing what to do at this point. “ I should wake up any moment from now. “ he thought, though everything was still dark. “ Any moment now. . . “ he whispered under his breath, once again, nothing had happened. Getting a bit concerned, he looked around everything to still be shuttered in darkness yet again. “ Why did this have to happen? Why does it choose to do this to our clan out of every living thing? “ he shrugged in his head. He decided to relax a bit then, breathing calmly, raging can’t help him anyways. It’s not like he could go back and do something about it. After quite a bit, he slowly was able to gain consciousness. He began to blink slowly, everything was still fuzzy and he wasn’t used to the light just yet. Slowly getting up he looked down and noticed black stains on his fur, he then looked at it in disgust. Perhaps it was better to wash it off with water, he doesn’t even want to bother tasting it or grooming it off. This definitely could have been better, he then looked at most of the clan together. At least everything was still okay, but they still had a big trip to prepare for. He felt rather confident in himself, which is pretty common but this case was a bit more different. Though he still didn’t get it, was this some sort of joke to Starclan? Just the thought of it disgusted him deeply. Perhaps he’ll get his answers from this ‘ quest ‘ that other feline in his dream forced opon them.

Or, maybe he won’t, who knows?

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❝ ─── 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙮𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙣 ❞
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i. Molly ii. 27 Moons iii. Warrior v. Pansexual | Panromantic vi. Relations vii. No Mate viii. The Clan? . . .
ix. Nothing Really, just interact with her to get a response.
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xxxxJust sleeping. . . Feel free to interact with her or wake up up!

[razzberry]

⟣ — — 𝐖𝐈𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐊

sagittarius ∾ forty moons ∾ molly ∾ ocular powers ∾ mentions: the clan ∾ tags: maplefall

Darkness was all she knew in that moment. She couldn't remember what happened, couldn't recall the events that led up to this bleak void, it was simply all she knew in that moment. The only light was from the sliver of the moon up above but even that did little to light up the dark nothingness that surrounded her. As her senses became to come to, she vaguely picked up on the heavy breathing of other creatures. Cats? As her eyes began to adjust more, as Widowcroak strained and squinted to see through the darkness, there was a blossom of light from ahead of her, above a pool of water. With that light she was able to distinguish that the creatures whose breaths she'd heard were in fact other cats, clan mates of hers. Her attention didn't remain on her fellow comrades for long because within seconds the light morphed into a replica of their species, a cat. Widowcroak was mesmerized by this and her eyes seemed to be entranced by the vision before her. It wasn't until it spoke that shivers coursed her spine and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Nothing about this situation seemed real, none of it could possibly be true. Yet a feeling inside of her, a feeling deep in her gut that gnawed worriedly, was telling her that she was wrong. This was real and it was going down.

The cats all listened as the astral cat spoke, as it spoke of their destiny and an unavoidable quest that they would soon set out on. 'A quest? For what...' the ebony cat mused mentally as her furrowed brows worried her forehead. Her question wasn't left unanswered for long it seemed. “Your clan has not seen its last day yet, but if you wish to see them again you must fulfill this quest: Find the twelve which have the power to save your beloved clan.” the mysterious cat omitted, earning only confused looks from the group of cats. As the light cat went on to speak, Widowcroak flicked her eyes over the other cats, noticing many of her fellow warriors were among them, yet no one younger than nineteen moons. All of a sudden the light dimmed and disappeared, a jolt of hot energy rushed through her before she fell victim to the darkness.

Once again she was enveloped in darkness. In it's arms she felt oddly secure, like because she could see nothing she could be hurt by nothing. What she fretted for was when her eyes opened, if they opened. At this point she wasn't sure anymore. The moments that passed seemed long and stretched on until she finally felt the tingles behind her eyelids and they fluttered open. She was first aware of the ashen earth under her cheek that crunch as she moved her head. The way the lone breeze stirred up ash and blew it across her body. Widowcroak's stunning orange eyes opened enough to catch a glimpse of moving bodies feet away from her before honing in on the pair of legs that stood much closer, practically above her. The black she-cat shifted her head to tilt her eyes upwards and was relieved to see Maplefall's eyes. The sight of her friend encouraged her to sit up which, as difficult as it was, made her feel much better when she could fix the kink in her neck. "What the heck happened? Tell me I'm not the only one who feels like a boulder was dropped on my head" Widowcroak grit out through clenched teeth as she rose a paw to cradle her head.

⟣ — — 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐘

aries ∾ thirty three moons ∾ tomcat ∾ thermokinesis ∾ mentions: -- ∾ tags: the clan

-- just waking up and disoriented / open for interactions (will post next time when I'm less tired lol)