[Mooshyy]

Username: mooshyy
Cat Name: Sparkblade
Gender: female - she/her
Rank: warrior/guard
Clan: hollowclan
Age: 32 moons
Prompt:
Sparkblade can get overwhelmed and anxious under the heat of battle. Silverstrike, Sparkblade's mentor and mate, had taught the torbie how to wield her blade, and pretty well. She doesn't fight as well without the tabby by her side. The two are inseparable, and when they fight together, they're unstoppable and will do anything to protect one another.

art extra!!

here's silverstrike btw,,

[Knickknacks]

Username: Knickknacks
Cat Name: Cowrie
Gender: female
Rank: head sentinel
Clan: salted stone
Age: 3 years
Prompt: [538 words]

"Are we certain that these cats are a threat?"

The question, raised by a compatriot whose fur was bristling with nerves, prompted a dismissive sniff from Cowrie. Octopus had always been soft-hearted.

"They're pirates," she said simply, as though that was all the explanation needed. "When have pirates ever done anything good for us? They're unruly menaces, the whole lot of them."

From the crumbling stone of the watchtower, she could see the ship far below- and the cats it had borne to shore, looking no larger than ants as they scurried across the decks. Planning something nefarious, no doubt- what else could they be doing here, but planning to attack, or rob, or otherwise disrupt the city? That was what pirates did best- and protecting her city against such threats was what Cowrie did best.


- - - - -

Cowrie had known that pirates were crafty- story after story of clever pirate kings, their tricks and treasures and raids, had featured in many of the tales she'd been told as a child. But pretending to seek asylum, in an attempt to lower her guard? That was a new low. She felt positively alight with fury- and didn't understand how her fellow sentry Octopus, sitting right beside her, could face this obvious trick with such calmness.

"If you think, for one moment, that the City of Salted Stone is going to open its doors to your kind- you had better think again." She tossed her head and spat down at the intruders, bristling from ears to tail with anger. "Take your ship and find some other port to bother. You are not welcome here."

"No- please," the pirate cried out, tail lashing frantically. "That's what I'm trying to tell you- our ship was wrecked, we can't go anywhere. Please. We lost most of our provisions in the wreck and are nearly out of supplies. Even if it's only for a night, with your help we could-"

"Lure us into a false sense of security, and then rob us blind for our troubles?" Cowrie's lip curled. "You can't seriously believe we would fall from that. I've faced cleverer thieves than you, pirate."

"Cowrie," Octopus spoke up tentatively, eyeing the pirate with a mix of apprehension and genuine concern. "Their story seems sound enough- I don't think they're here to attack us. Maybe we could at least investigate, and see if-"

"No," she protested firmly. "I will not negotiate with pirates, and I will not welcome potential threats right into our midst. We're done here."

The pirate's posture slumped- in defeat? Disappointment? She wasn't sure. Cowrie shook her head, fighting off the stab of sympathy that almost tempted her to hear them out, and turned to leave. Octopus hesitated for a moment, and then fell into step beside her, darting glances back at the bedraggled pirate as the two parties separated.

Cowrie did not look back. She had no sympathy for pirates. None at all, she told herself, trying not to think about the desperate light in the strange cat's eyes as they had pleaded with her. Surely it had been a trick- right?

Her job was to defend the city from attack- and she had done that.

So why was she doubting herself?

[Archaeopteryx.]

Username: Archaeopteryx.
Cat Name: Fidget
Gender: X'che (xe/xem)
Rank: Researcher
Clan: Clan of Eternal Sun
Age: 4 years
Prompt:
xxxxThe Clan is almost never attacked. There's not enough competition out in the desert to warrant it—besides the Clan of Eternal Sun and the occasional desert cat, the closest other group is several days' walk away.

xxxxSo when the Clan is attacked, it is almost always woefully unprepared.

xxxxFidget is awoken by paws shaking xer body, a frantic voice whispering in xer ear. There is the baying of dogs in the distance as one of xer new Clanmates tells xem to follow the apprentices up on the roof. Fidget wants to argue, to help fight for xer new home, but the sound of those dogs in the distance makes xem reconsider.

xxxxXe finds xemself helping to drag xer Clanmates up onto the tin metal roof of the Shelter, teeth buried in Timewatcher's scruff as xe pulls the watcher up to safety, the other cat limp and despondent. Xer legs shake under the older cat's weight, and for a heart-stopping moment, xer claws slip and the two almost go plummeting over the edge of the roof, but xe manages to drag them up.

xxxxIt's the middle of the night, moon full overhead, as they are joined by the rest of the Clan. There was almost no one home, just Arctictuft, the cat who woke xem up, the apprentices Strawberry and Permafrost, the watcher Timewatcher, and two of the denwardens, Flickersight and Swiftdance. Fidget isn't sure whether xe should be grateful the rest of the Clan is absent, or terrified that no one is home to protect them.

xxxxThe Clan is eerily silent. Fidget can hear snuffling just underneath them, quiet ripping and tearing as the dogs get into their supplies. The hard-worked supplies, dried prey, prepared herbs... all gone.

xxxxXe can hear the dogs communicating down below, but can't understand them.

xxxxAfter an eternity, xe can hear them move on, trotting off into the darkness in search of other things to bully. Xe wants to feel angry, that these dogs would attack their camp like this, when they were doing nothing wrong, but mostly xe just feels... empty. Cold. Tired.

xxxxXe're not a fighter.

xxxxBut in this moment, hiding on a cold rooftop with the moonlight reflecting in xer Clanmate's wide, terrified eyes, xe wishes xe could be.

[Guest]

Username: ethium
Cat Name: marulafrond
Gender: female
Rank: witchhunter
Clan: elmclan
Age: 45 moons
Prompt: [snip]

winner! my apologies for the time it took to judge this - i couldn't pick just one entry, but i though yours was pretty cool!
i'm also giving HMs to BigFrog4231, Knickknacks and Archaeopteryx.!

[ethium]

shaking crying,,
thank you so much omg !!
she fits this character concept so perfectly I am so excited to throw her into elmclan lore <33

congrats to bigfrog4231, knickknacks and archaeopteryx. on the hms !!

[nio]

CONGRATSSSSSSS <3333

[BigFrog4231]

congrats to ethium and the other HM winners, and ty for the HM !!