Stars V.2 • Catvent 2024

[néktar]

↬ catvent day: one

↬ username & id: nektar + 217991
↬ clan archive: marbleclan

↬ word count:
↬ prompt: 545
the night air was chilling to the bone, seeping under even the thickest of pelts. yuccapaw sat restlessly in her nest with her tail flicking about behind her, moss flinging from her tail and landing on sweetpaw's nose. the younger apprentice awoke with a start, letting out a soft sneeze which caused what little fur yuccapaw had to stand on end. with a little sniffle the white molly spoke in the gloom,

"what has got you so worked up? i haven't seen you this restless since stormfreckle sprang her leg." her voice was soft and delicate, like a snowflake drifting in a breeze. the older apprentice turned to look over her shoulder, her hazy blue eyes glowed in the sparsely lit rock cave and seemed to radiate with a certain intensity. she finally replied after a moment of cold silence, "want to get out of here tonight?" she completely avoided the question leading to sweetpaw heaving a sigh, "if it will calm your nerves and let me get a good nights sleep then yes." she mewed with a purr in her voice, she rose to her paws and stretched her lengthy body out.

sweetpaw's pelt shimmered against the flickering firelight that came from the fire bowl that stood right outside of their den, allowing warmth to seep in. the two apprentices fixed their fur and slipped out of the crack in the boulders on the far right side of the sanctuary, the warrior and hunter dens lay just across the cavern, the marble pillars blocking the apprentices from sight, for now. they stuck close to each other, trying to blend into the dancing glow of the fire. they could hear gentle snores of their clanmates though their hackles were raised and their ears rotated on a swivel. the two mollies stalked about the shadows, following in the ebb and flow of the inky spots. they were just rounding the edge of the cavern and going to slip outside of the cave into the beach one after the other right until they heard a voice.

"yuccapaw!"

this call from across the cavern could easily have awoken the whole clan, as the fiery call echoed off of the sparsely moss covered walls. they both turned to see a grey pelt shooting towards them, lime green eyes like small venomous flames burned into theirs as the two stood frozen solid right in front of the frosty cave entrance. stormfreckle was not standing in front of them, her tail lashing behind her the usually gentle and fun molly was now vibrating with anger. her eyes were locked with yuccapaw's as sweetpaw curled up and pressed her slim body against the stony backdrop wishing to be as far from this situation as possible. finally after what felt like the longest moment of silence stormfreckle spoke, "i told you.. you were on thin. ice." she hissed through her bared fangs. yuccapaw's head dropped as her boldness finally caught up to her. "go sleep in the medicine den, i'll see that sweetpaw makes it back to her nest in one piece." she meowed gazing intensely at her apprentice. the apprentice skulked further into the cave, not looking back at the two mollies as they began their walk back to the apprentice den.

[Archaeopteryx.]

↬ catvent day: one

↬ username & id: archaeopteryx. 334452
↬ clan archive: enurian

↬ word count: 345 words
↬ prompt:

The ice crackled under Dartbite's paws. An endless expanse that shattered as it approached the horizon, splintering off to return to the sea it came from. The only pause was the blood red foliage covering the small islands that pocketed this alien biome. Cold bit at his pads as he trekked on.

Emotions prickled at his fur, and he fought to keep his fur flat.

A growl rose from his chest and he snapped, punching at the ice below him. "This isn't fair!" He howled, gasping, at his reflection in the sea ice below. "...This isn't fair." Quieter now, eyes roaming the warning colors of his fur. Bright poisonous colors—as poisonous as he was.

Preoccupied with his own internal storm, the first deep booming crack took Dartbite off guard.

The ice below him—that he had assumed to be thick, strong sea ice—

He barely had a moment to realize it was fracturing underneath him, before it collapsed in on itself.

The cold water was a shock. He gasped in surprise and the arctic sea flooded his lungs. He couldn't see—couldn't hear— nothing but the deep, dark water around him and the roaring of the ice and current. The ice stretched over him, a glassy blanket smothering him in the depths. "Oh mother," he whispered, as he felt the sea dig her claws into his pelt. "Please. Don't let this be the way I go."

And then above him, the ice exploded.

Jaws clamped firmly around his scruff and hauled him up, up and out of the dark sea and into the brilliant sunlight. The ice was near-warm in comparison, warm as the paws pressing down on his ribcage. He choked, gasping and heaving, sea water dribbling from his mouth.

"If you do that again," Cypressroot snarled, and he could hear something new in her voice that wasn't there before. "We're going to have problems. Do you hear me, Frog?"

"Cypressroot," He gasped, and a new horror struck him. "My curse, I— you—"

And the darkness caught up to him, and he fainted.

[BingoDingo03]

↬ catvent day: one

↬ username & id: BingoDingo03 + 1113749
↬ clan archive: The Forgotten Farmyard (using NPCs Hana and Wahoo as I have no cats!)

↬ word count: 675
↬ prompt:

Hana woke up in a hurry and bursted out of her bed. It's snowing outside!! O' glorious snow, Hana thinks to herself. How I missed you so! With another playful bounce, she started to dart out of her hiding place, embracing the wintery breeze. She stopped running for just a moment to take in the scenery around her. Light snow fell everywhere around her, making huge piles in her wake. A tiny snowflake hits her nose, making her let out a giggle.

The trees were dappled with white and the grassland was buried under the frozen water. I always found that funny she ponders. Snow being frozen water still sounds weird to me, since I dislike water oh so much. Hana paws some some near her and forms a ball. I love snow but hate water. What an odd perdiciment this is. As she was making more snowballs, another cat cat into view. The fishercat, Wahoo arrived to the pond, attempting to catch some more fish before the river completely freezes over.

"Hello, Hana!" they call over to the distracted cat. "Oi, what are ya thinkin' about, friend?"

Hana turns to the inquisitive cat behind her, flicking her tail in a mischievous manner. "Oh, nothing much, just romping in the snow that's all!" She paused as she spotted Wahoo's empty basket. "So...you're trying to fish today? Mind if I come with you?"

Wahoo nods. "Of course you can! The more paws the better. I'd love to catch something big before, y'know," Wahoo motions to the river with a flick of their tail. Hana perks up as she bounds over to join Wahoo on their quest. Finally, something new to do! Maybe I can finally catch a big fish, maybe even find a sea monster! Hana giddies herself with her silly thoughts. Not a moment later, they arrived to their destination. Instead of thin, breakable ice however, they were instead greeted with stone-hard ice. Wahoo drops his basket and snorts a tad.

"Well that's just great," Wahoo growls. "The whole river is frozen solid now, now we really can't fish!"

Hana sweeps her gaze over to the frozen river, an impish thought popping up in her head. Without replying back to the annoyed cat, she shot out onto the ice, not thinking about the consequences. Wahoo snapped out of his funk as he saw Hana leap onto the ice. As she landed, his sharp ears not only her claws skidding, but cracking. The ice was not think, it was thin!!

Wahoo ran to the edge of the pool, calling out to the overly playful cat. "Hana!! The ice! The ice is not thick, it's thin!!"

Hana whipped her head to where Wahoo was standing. "Ha! Thin you say, I thought you said it was thick?" She bounced on the ice some more, trying to prove her point. "See, no problem! Wahoo, you just gotta chi-" Before she could finish her witty retort, the ice broke below her, plunging Hana into cold water. With a yowl of panic, Wahoo jumped into the freezing pond, grabbing Hana by the scruff. Luckily for them, the pond was not terribly deep, it was only two cats long after. Just because is wasn't deep didn't mean Hana wasn't in danger though.

With a final tug, Wahoo managed to get Hana out of the chilly water. Hana sat on the icy grass, gasping in sheer terror. She looked back at the pool, now broken from where she had fallen. Wahoo padded to her, keeping a nose out for any injuries.

"You good, friend? See I told you get off the ice didn't I?" Hana shook her pelt, a little embarrassed that she tease them the moment before.

"Uh, well..." Wahoo raised a brow as Hana attempted to lighten the mood again. "At least we can try fish now, right?"

Wahoo's serious scowl melted into a smirk as Hana's antics gotten the better of him. "I guess we can. But just so you know, you're gonna stay away from the pool this time!"

[SkywardtheDragon]

↬ catvent day: one

↬ username & id: Skywardthedragon 935233
↬ clan archive: Company of Fools

↬ word count: 306
↬ prompt:
Ice skating, what a wonderful experience!

Of course, if you’re a cat, nobody makes ice skates to fit your paws. And ice skates probably haven’t been invented yet, anyway. But ignore all that, because it’s fun to just run around on the ice and go sliding every which way! The best part about getting around on four legs is that you don’t have to fall so far if you slip.

Greatnight and Caracat chased each other around the ice in some strange combination of tag and wrestling, barreling into everyone they came across. Cadence yelped as ice shavings kicked up by their claws hit her on the nose, Emby’s headband flew off from a stray kick, and Beechbreeze and Heartstone, in the middle of their romantic synchronized skating routine, were unceremoniously crashed into.

“We have got to stop those two!” Blizzard said. “They’re ruining the winter spirit!”

“But how?” Cadence asked, voice nasal from her nose injury. “I mean, it’s not like we can just break the ice, can we?”

Everyone looked at Clover expectantly. He sighed.

Clover was having a glorious time skating, however brief it may be. All the other cats evacuated the pond area, knowing exactly what was going to happen, except for Greatnight and Caracat. Those two were heading Clover’s direction, and he could almost feel the slowdown before disaster. He could already feel the ice growing thin under his cursed paws.

They crashed into him, and then all three fell through the suddenly-weak ice.

Blizzard and Cadence each used a telekinesis spell on Greatnight and Caracat, and Clover just teleported himself out. Smokey had already built a fire and prepared hot tea to help them recover from the shock of ice water. Greatnight grumbled and Caracat seethed, but Clover just laughed.

Bad luck can be used for good things, after all.

[nindroidzane]

↬ catvent day: one

↬ username & id: nindroidzane + 996925
↬ clan archive: frostclan

↬ word count: 15
↬ prompt: toffee would prefer the ice was a little thinner, he's trying to swim over here 🙄

[0Zero0]

↬ catvent day: one

↬ username & id: 0Zero0 780482
↬ clan archive: Forum/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=4611663

↬ word count: 432
↬ prompt:

woahhh its getting chilly outside! it seems like the water is already starting to freeze over it appears one of your kitties is on thin ice! how did they end up here?

Snow. A rare accurance on the island despite it being so high up, the weather rarely seemed as such. Snow falling usually melted before it touched the ground. Yet the ground was covered in white fluffy powder. Buildings creaked in the cold, and the streets echoed in silence. No feline was outside. No feline except for the boisterous Tanuki. Tanuki was a black sparbled tabby. Such a contrast to the land around him, that he stood out, and it was impossible for him to hide.

He didn't need to hide though, as no one was around to see him. Everyone seemed to be hiding in there coves enjoying a warm fire, and ignoring the world around them. Perfect for the acts of a sneaky thief. As the black cat slowly slinked around looking for a target, a shiny bead caught his eyes.

The jewelery store is ungaurded. as he slowly wondered inside, he snatched the closest gem. A large blue sapphire sitting on the table top. It was being prepared to be set into a broach, but if Tanuki could get out without being caught it wouldn't be. As the black cat found himself at the door, a orange one stood in the way.

"Stealing again Tanuki. I thought we've been over. this." Marmalade stood tall. The red grizzled rosette scowled.

Tanuki was on thin ice. He had to think of something. "I was told to pick a blue gem up for... for..."

"No point in excuses. Put it back now, and I'll think about pretending I didn't see you grab it in the first place."

Tanuki sighed, and slowly sauntered over to the desk where the blue gem originally sat. He bolted. Leaping over and heading towards the back of the shop. Marmalade had no choice but to follow. The size difference between them was obvious, Tanuki able to dodge and weave through small spaces, while Marmalade had to work extra hard not to knock anything over or break anything. While Tanuki took the high road and made the warrior have the hardest time possible.

Jumping out the back window Tanuki made his final leap in hopes it would lose marmalade. The window was to small for the big oaf to get through.

there was an ice pond on the other side. Before Tanuki could stop the chaos, the cat fell on thin ice, and broke straight through. Water enveloped him. Before he knew it things went dark.

When he woke, he was in cuffs, a large orange feline standing with him. Both of them soaked. Welp, better luck next time.

[razr]

↬ catvent day: one

↬ username & id: razr / 1021614
↬ clan archive: renatulus

↬ word count: 322
↬ prompt:

"pariah!"

the call of their name from across the house is more than enough to send a jolt of cold fear through pariah, for they know precisely what they're being summoned for.

maybe they could pretend to be asleep...?

they huddle up in their bed and pull the blankets around their head, as if they might shield them from the pawsteps racing down the hall. when the door to their room opens, the infiltrator pauses. maybe the blankets worked and pariah can live another day.

"pariah..."

or not.

roo sighs and pads closer to the bed. a nose nudges the pile of blankets. "honey, come out of there. we need to talk."

pariah only manages a small grunt of protest. roo can see their little tail poking out from the blankets, bristled with distress. she shakes her head.

"you know what it's about, don't you?"

"mhm."

...

roo sighs and leans down, resting her chin over the pile of blankets. a comforting weight, she hopes. "i got a call from the shop in town square saying they saw you taking something. was it the eyeliner i saw you wearing the other day?"

a long pause, and another small sound of confirmation.

pariah doesn't know WHY they stole it. it's not like they need eyeliner-- their fur is literally already black. but they did, and the offending item is currently hidden under their pillow.

"can i have it, pariah? i can't let you keep it, you know that."

a grumbling protest.

...

a small white-spotted paw nudges the eyeliner out from under the pillow.

"thank you," roo purrs, picking up the eyeliner. "i'll go down and pay them back for this, and when i'm back we're going to--"

"am i in trouble?"

. . . .

roo blinks down at the teary-eyed kitten face staring up at her. a smile grows on her face and she leans down to nuzzle pariah's forehead.

"no. but you're on thin ice, mister."

[Vivika]

↬ catvent day: one

↬ username & id: vivika + 966947
↬ clan archive: azeryn

↬ word count: 662 words
↬ prompt:

his sword was one of those abysmal morning birds.

ollie groaned, burrowing underneath the warm toffee-hued folds of his cashmere blanket. to make matters even worse, cathan took sols and lunes and eons and millennia to get ready. in the cool bliss of darkness, the faintest burble of water against stone dripped behind closed doors. the fragrance of basil and lemon drifted, clean and sharp, oddly fitting for his dear sword.

he activated his nexus with a simple flick. obsidian and azure geometrics hovered, twisting from hexagons into a double spiral in a familiar start-up sequence. a low hum thrummed against his skin as he fired off a quick ping to his partner.


>> are you done?


no answer. if he were more awake, he could’ve sworn he heard the faintest hum from the other side of those locked doors.


>> hey. early bird. morning bird. cathan. can you hear me?
>> seriously dude. are you ignoring me?
>> don’t tell me you’re still mad about the alley thing last night.


nothing.


>> hellooooooooo?
>> hey you morning breath mammoth. answer me.
>> i’m sorry about the alley thing. i can’t promise it won’t happen again because it probably will.
>> okay fine. i think the sun admits defeat. it’s not even up. and you are.


not even a react? it was one of his best lines.


>> if you have to get up, can you at least get ready faster? like 10x speed pls. you’re not exactly quiet in there.
>> hellooooo? cathan????? are you sleeping in there????


he tossed his nexus aside with a huff. cathan was truly and utterly impossible. he bundled himself with the blanket once more, pressing his cheek against the soft wool for warmth. if his sword wanted to be that way, he had to change things up. alter the current paradigm. but what would get cathan out of there the fastest? what would make anyone come running?

the hint of a smile crept onto his lips, slow, but sure. he rocked himself to an easy position and filled his lungs with the clean fragrance of basil and lemon as if he were an opera singer at the annual festival. and released it in a single, piercing scream.

a scream from the theater. one spun from ghost stories and skeletons, dragons and leviathans, flashing holofilms and holograms from a scarlet-soaked world. a friend used to say he was a natural on-stage. brazen and utterly unapologetic. with a lifetime of confidence to match.

the door swung open.

hot steam poured out in torrential wave, ripping through the chilly room. and then, cathan emerged. steps slow and deliberate. not… what he’d expected. he’d expected the craze of concern, a flash of fear, weapons drawn and heartbeat like a jackrabbit’s.

a drop of water plinked on the floor.

instead, cathan’s features were cut in stone. impassive and cool, the face of detached professionalism. his dark curls dripped, the ends jewelled with heavy droplets. but his eyes blazed—a storm of cold fire.

“you’re out!” a cheery grin lifted the corner of his lips. “took you long enough. i expected you’d hurry out quicker after all that, but you’re still as slow as before.”

“olivier.”

he winced. if cathan knew all his formal titles and holdings and claims, he had no doubt they’d be wrapped into that single, levelled word poised with restrained fury and frigid poison. but he lived on the edge and he lived to test that very edge. “um ollie, actually. if… you don’t mind—”

“i’m not a fool, olivier.” each word was the bite of cold steel against flesh. “don’t waste my time. if you really want to play at that, try making it believable next time.”

a glowing ring slid against the rougewood tiles. already activated and past the double spiral of the start-up sequence. cathan’s nexus. the holos shimmered revealing glittering words — his earlier pings — all seen and read. just seconds before his antics.

[dragoness129]

↬ catvent day: one

↬ username & id: dragoness129 + 3218
↬ clan archive: Galerina Autumnalis

↬ word count:
↬ prompt:
Pumpkin gasped in alarm! One minute, they were rushing after the rabbit. The next, they found themself skidding on slippery ice! When they finally came to a halt, they let out the breath they did not know they were holding. Pumpkin went to take a step, but felt the ice begin to crack under their paw. Terror was rising up in them, but they were fighting to keep it down. Panicking in this situation would not be good for any cat. Pumpkin let out a meek wail, calling out for anyone nearby. They hoped they could get out of this situation without falling through the thin ice.

[faelyn]

as soon as the cats finished their tales, the tree began to glow! thanks to the hardwork of all the storytellers, the tree was beginning to come back to life! <3 all around you, whoops and cheers went up as all the cats clamoured to take a closer look at the tree!

ribbit. ribbit. ribbit. you turn and see a rotund, yet charmingly green, face. it was a frog! :o you tiptoe closer and squint. you think you see something! before the frog could hop back into the little mud puddle a little ways ahead, you snatch it up, holding it close to your face and as you looked closer, you could see a little red ticket!

all users above has successfully completed a catvent prompt and has earned +1 raffle ticket! check out the catvent archives throughout the event to see which minigoals you've completed!

the following users earned +1 additonal raffle ticket for writing over 250 words!

Hazelfang
Hush
feather '
feverrr
harvestberry
Macabre
honeyfinnz
literal.swag.
crexmii
canadianhowl
LittleMaple
Whovian5eva
Kazin
Mercuré
TaffyYellow
ArithMedic
kyeza
dimi.
Prince Audric
jay.
knickknacks
faelyn
Embergleam
ethium
EchoIre
elliott
Baobabel
Sushifoxx
nektar
archaeopteryx.
BingoDingo03
Skywardthedragon
0Zero0
razr
vivika