[Kazin]

★ MARBLECLAN
nektar ★ last post

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The rabbits may be getting smarter, but I can adapt and prove to Dawncatcher that I can find more prey than she expected. The thoughts were like a gentle breeze in Littlethistle's mind, not gripping her too tightly, but still there and present. She hadn't even meant to truly catch and retain Mothfur's words, but she was determined to get the rabbit he failed to. She knew with a little patience, a little skill, and a well-timed pounce, the rabbit could be hers. She just had to wait it out, outsmart it. Littlethistle stayed still as a stone, tail quivering slightly, sensing the small movements of the rabbit, the scent stronger now as it popped it's head out. Wait, she thought, not wanting to scare it back in and miss her chance. Slowly, so slowly, too slowly, the rabbit made its way out of the den, and Littlethistle could finally make her move in one swift pounce. Success! (+4FP rabbit)

Cursing his limp under his breath, Blacktoe watched Littlethistle from a distance, not wanting to disrupt her hunting. He hated feeling like he wasn't able to catch anything right now, but maybe he could still be useful. Taking it slow, he circling around the grasses and vegetation for a bit before carefully plucking a few things that could be important - maybe Dawncatcher could take it easy on him and see that he was being helpful, even if he didn't catch any prey. (+1 catchweed, +1 tansy)

Without words passing between them, the pair of cats reconvened nearby, Mothfur and Dawncatcher leaving to their own discovery. In the distance, Blacktoe squinted, prodding Littlethistle with a paw to get her attention. In the distance, a band of cats wandered; not crossing any borders, but maybe a little too close for comfort. (A band of cats is seen outside of the border! Does your patrol choose to confront the other cats, or ignore them?)

────── « ★★★ » ───────────────────────────────────────────────

★ FINDINGS ★
[ +4FP rabbit ]
[ +1 catchweed , +1 tansy ]

★ XP EARNINGS ★
death opt in/out

+50xp for words written
+10xp for patrol sent
+4xp for prey earnings
+2xp for herb earnings

★ FINAL TOTALS ★
[ +10% hunger for patrol ★ no one lost health!
+66xp → level 3 (233/400xp) ]

[ notes: n/a! c: ]

[Vivika]

hello stars community! 🩷 we hope everyone is enjoying their day && artfight prep season (if you plan on participating) !!

✦ we’ve launched a new mini-mechanic in explore: scouting !! this mechanic was added to make explore more accessible and support different play-styles! it includes smaller patrols + quicker responses && it’s overall meant to be a fun + chill way to ease into explore if you’re just starting out and/or if you prefer exploring without a larger focus on development / writing c:

✦ the explore code has been updated to include “reply preferences”, so make sure to use the new code when you post again!

✦ the explore faq has some new scouting-related additions too!

✦ the explore page also has a new announcements / scouting status section too!

[Vivika]

Scouting is officially open until the end of July!

Scouting Reminders;
☆ To send out a scouting patrol, fill out the explore code and include a max of two cats in the "patrollers" section! Writers will automatically consider these scouting patrols*.

☆ Select default as your reply preference! You'll receive short, rolls-only replies for any scouting posts you send out.
⤷ *Note: selecting "lore-based" replies means you'll only receive detailed explore replies. If you're not interested in scouting replies, select "lore-based" & you'll be opted-out of scouting replies c:

☆ You may only send out one patrol at a time (across explore / scouting patrols); please make sure your previous explore / scouting post was responded to before posting another!

☆ Feel free to pop questions / concerns into #help-and-questions on our discord or check the "scouting-related questions" of our explore faq! Alternatively, you're welcome to contact me (viv) or an applicable owner/ helper if you have any questions <33

[Alledowaya]

Spirits of Neverland

☆ last explore post: link 
☆ last writer reply: link

☆ opted-in for death: No
☆ active & monthly tasks: n/a
☆ prey & predator list: custom
☆ writer's reply preference: default


━━━ « patrollers, inventory & level / xp section » ━━━

✦✦ level & xp: level 1 (29/200xp)

✦✦ cats on patrol ✦✦
⤷ Willow that Weeps at Night • She/Her • 10% hunger • 100% health • not sick • IMMORTAL
⤷ Caw of the Carrion Crow • She/Her • 10% hunger • 100% health • not sick

✦✦ prey & herbs inventory ✦✦
⤷ Scraps (1fp) x2 • Snowshoe Hare (3fp) x1 • Marmot (4fp) x1
⤷ Alderbark x1 • Dandelion x1 • Holly Berries x1

✦✦ items in inventory used ✦✦
Pika (2fp) x1 - Split between the two cats please


━━━ « writing section » ━━━

☆ explore writing: N/A
☆ word count: 000 words

[SkyWishes21]

𖤓HEART OF DECAY
dimi. 𖤓 dimi.'s last post

xxxxxxxxx

The silence in the wake of Nona’s sacrifice was deafening, the absence of the roar of power ringing through Baby and Bear’s ears. Only the goddesses’ mutual weeping and quiet whispers as they processed everything that had just happened could be heard, and even then that was little more than a susurration in the wind.

Baby didn’t move, couldn’t, eyes fixed on where the goddesses lay. Her breath came heavy, her body heavy. What could have killed a goddess? Were they all doomed, especially now that Nona was little more than mortal herself? So caught up in her fear, Baby didn’t notice the faint glimmers of magic that drifted over and got stuck in her fur. [+90 stardust]

Ever the pragmatist, Bear found herself shifting on her feet to help. Standing and staring wasn’t going to do much to aid Nona and Gala after their time of trial.

“I’m going to hunt,” she murmured into Baby’s ear, “bring them an offering.”
Baby nodded, only slightly.

The creatures and creeping things of the forest were only just beginning to return, frightened off by the vastness of Nona’s power. Tracking down a rabbit proved to be a bit of a task, one that had Bear gritting her teeth in frustration.

In the end, however, she was able to find a fat one just peeking out of a burrow, just about to eat what she recognized as a useful herb. One swift pounce and both rabbit and herb were hers. [+1 4fp rabbit, +1 ragwort]

Offering secured, she quietly padded up to a distance from the goddesses that was at once respectful and attention grabbing and set down her gift. They turned to look, not saying a word, barely keeping themselves together after the earlier events.
“Excuse me, my ladies?” she said, practically prostrating herself behind her offering. “This is for you.”

𖤓 XP EARNINGS 𖤓
death opt in

+210XP for words written doubled
+20XP for patrol sent doubled
+8XP for prey caught doubled
+02XP for herb found doubled
+02XP for stardust found doubled

𖤓 FINDINGS𖤓
+1 4fp rabbit
+1 ragwort
+90 stardust

𖤓 FINAL TOTALS 𖤓
[ +10% hunger for patrol 𖤓 +242XP → level 8 (536/1000XP) ]

[notes: hi dimi! was the suspense worth it?
didn't kill anyone this time! :angel emoji:

oh also, fun fact! a revive gives a
previously deceased cat 100% HUP,
so gala is at 100% <3 otherwise she would
be dead again. this may be useful
information for you to have in
the future :3]

[elliott.]

KINGDOM OF PINE AND MARROW
snover ★ user's last post

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Time seemed to tick by even slower. What used to be a blur of padding around, sniffing for Furzetuft's friend, was now constant glances at the sun, watching it lower further and further towards the horizon. It was a pretty sky, the grass and brush being painted a nice golden, but Fyodor couldn't find it in him to focus on it, the four words echoing in his head.

He only snapped out of his dissociation by the sharp stinging smell of blood, ears pulling back towards his cranium. A few more sniffs and a few paw steps forward revealed a dappled she-cat laying on her side, surrounded by a torn-apart carcass of a rabbit and shredded plants.
[ + 1 catmint, + 1 alder bark, + 1FP scraps, + 6XP ]

"Oh, no!" Furzetuft cried, darting forward with a bump of her shoulder against his flank as she barreled through. "What happened?" Her nose presses into her friend's pelt, twitching as she tries to determine the source of the bleeding and the severity.

The stranger whines as Furzetuft's nose presses into their flank, flinching. "Rabbit kicked me when I was trying to catch it and got me good. I think I'll need more than a few herbs to patch myself up, if y'all can help."
[ Furzetuft's friend has been hurt and will need 3 herbs in order to be healed! Does your patrol choose to heal the cat, or leave Furzetuft and their friend behind? ]

⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ ★★★ ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯

XP EARNINGS
★ death opt in
one free post left!

70XP for words
20XP for patrol sent
02XP for prey earnings
04XP for herb earnings

FINAL TOTALS & NOTE
★ [ + 00% hunger for patrol ] ★ [ + 96 XP TOTAL ]
★ [ level 0 (44/100) → level 0 (140/100) → level 1 (40/200) ]
★ [ congrats, you've levelled up! you've received + 1FP [user's choice] + 50 SD! ]
★ [ + 1FP scraps ] ★ [ +1 alder bark, + 1 catmint ]
xxx [ note: n/a ! ]

[dimi.]

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Last Explore Post // Last Explore Response

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[2,000 words]
Soft spirals of green bounced about the clearing, their kisses cold to the cat's fur laying within them. The cat opened their maw to speak.

Where am I?
Everything hurts.
What happened?

But their cries never manifested into vocals. Soon, the molly tried to stand up, but quickly tumbled to the ground with a gasp of agony, her muscles twitching with each pain that followed.

I've never felt this way.
Why am I so frail?
The pain won't stop.

She laid in the grass beneath her, appreciating the gentle sensation of the blades of grass tickling her chin and cheeks before a voice clouded her mind. A darkness of doubt enveloped her, and with a cold tongue, hissed; "Was it worth it? To lose your power? To bring that thing back from the dead? You have made it so much easier to rip you apart."

Thing from the dead?
I won't be ripped apart.
GALA! WHERE IS GALA?!

Nona was snapped out of her dazed trance, quickly scrambling to her paws. She spun in a circle, her green eyes darting about the scenery frantically. "GALA!? GALA!? Gala..." She cried, her voice beginning to trail off as her strength waned and for the first time ever, she felt one unfamiliar emotion; fear.

"You won't find her here. It is just you and I." The cold voice beckoned, a black smoke enveloping Nona. "But don't worry. I'll let you go to see the chaos you've started. Just know that you won't be able to bring Gala back again. And you won't be able to fend me off."

With the parting breaths of the shadow, it vanished, and the grass beneath Nona's paws suddenly parted, sending Nona falling into a realm unknown. She landed in what felt like water, but didn't fill her lungs. She slowly floated down, closing her eyes. She allowed herself to be consumed.

-----

The hunt Bear had pursued was her cowardly way of pulling back from the situation. A cat that she had thought was nothing more than a nuisance had shielded her from what felt like certain death. Everything that she knew, everything that she believed to be true was being challenged. Her Goddesses were not as immortal as they seemed. The two were in love undeniably, something that she herself yearned for; and envied in the same breath.

Her blue eyes glinted with focus as she tracked down the plump rabbit. Perhaps bringing something to appease the traumatized Goddesses would help her; at the very least, it would distract her from what she had just witnessed. With a quite bite, she snatched the rabbit in her maw, and took its life in the same breath. She slowly made her way back to the scene, dreading to see what it had become.

However, when she broke through the tree line and gazed at the Goddesses, she found that Baby had slowly moved forward, and was directly talking to them; something a cat had never done before.

"G-Gala?" Baby stammered. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Besides treating Nona's wounds? No." Gala spoke in a motherly tone. Despite what had just happened, Gala's priority was one thing; making sure the cats she considered her children were okay. After all, they had just endured something that most cats would never see in their life time.

"I... don't think I can right now." Baby grimaced. "We need to get Nona to the camp."

Bear slowly moved forward, carefully dropping the rabbit on the ground, and nudging it towards Gala. She bowed her head respectfully - approaching such a divine figure so casually felt wrong. And yet, Gala smiled gently.

"Thank you, Bear." Gala lifted the rabbit in her maw. "I am far too weak to carry Nona. Can one of you do it?"

"I'd be honored to." Bear immediately volunteered. Baby sauntered over, and helped lay Nona across Bear's back. "Let's go. Camp isn't too far from here."

-----

Chaos had broken out within the Heart. The scream that had hit Bear and Baby wasn't exclusive to them; it was so loud, any living creature within the Heart's territory heard it - and that included all of the clan cats. Of course, if the scream hadn't gotten their attention, the sky turning green and then black certainly did.

The clan's camp was bustling; cats were swarming about, bombarding one another with questions and commentary.

"That really hurt my ears!"
"Why did the sky change colors?!"
"What was that!?"

These questions were mostly directed at the leader Hope, who had began to exit the camp to investigate when her purple eyes locked upon the last thing she expected.

Before her stood Baby. But the once chaotic glimmer in her eye was gone. Her expression was overwhelmed by shock, grief, and her ears were pinned back.

"Baby? What happened?" Hope asked, her voice shaky. Baby glanced to the side, averting her gaze. Guilt tugged at her heart. She wished she could've done more. She wished she had the words to comfort Hope; but they wouldn't reach her tongue. Meekly, Baby uttered two words.

"I'm sorry." Baby then stepped to the side, and behind her stood Bear, who was equally as bewildered. Upon Bear's back was the unconscious and heavily wounded Nona. The clan cats began to swarm, but Bear immediately shut it down.

"BACK OFF! THIS IS NOT A VIEWING SESSION!" Bear yelped. Her blue eyes quickly softened after the burst, her legs trembling as she slowly drooped down, letting Nona's body hit the ground gently. Hope, not having much time to react or even process the scene before her, looked around.

"I need the medics, now!"

The two medics who were sharing a bite of prey quickly made their way over, and gasped at the scene. Without hesitation, Jet and Jade worked together to haul Nona into the medic's den. The chaos surrounding Nona's state was so much, no one seemed to notice that further behind Bear, Gala stood. Her purple horns glowed vibrantly, her lips pursed and her brows furrowed.

The clan had mostly gone to linger around the medic's den to see if they could pick up on any conversation; but Hope hadn't moved. This had to be a hard scene for her to see; Nona was her mother. That fact wasn't known to most of the clan. Hope looked up after sensing a gaze upon her, her eyes widening.

"Mom." Hope quickly ran up to Gala, burying her head in her chest. This was the first time Hope had seen Gala in her mortal form, and being so distressed, she ran in for an embrace. However, Hope noticed that Gala's body was oddly cold; but she pushed that to the side, her thoughts growing into a bigger and bigger pile of incoherency.

Gala rested her head atop Hope's. She didn't shy away from the initial embrace; the whole clan had seen her - there was no point in acting above them anymore. The two stood there for a while in silence. What they hadn't noticed was that Baby and Bear had stayed near the two.

"She's your mom?" Baby piped up, and began to look between the mollies, noting their similar and beautiful purple eyes, and similar markings. "That... explains so much." The pink molly would normally be more thrilled about such a revelation, bouncing about; but instead, all she could manage was a meek reply.

"Baby, you're being too hard on yourself." Bear said sympathetically. Though Baby's optimism was overwhelming at times, it was disturbing to see Baby so distraught.

"Bear is right. There is nothing you could've done differently. You and Bear were brave to approach us." Gala said softly, drawing Baby's attention. It was weird to hear Gala's voice outside of a dream or quiet thought within her head. It was like motherly silk, kissing her ears in an attempt to comfort her. Tears welled in Baby's eyes as she whimpered out a quiet "thank you".

"Now... Hope, the question of what happened." Gala began, pulling her head back from atop Hope's. "Something began to ache in the back of my head. I passed out. I don't know what happened after that."

"You were dead."

The voice of Baby suddenly speaking up drew Hope's attention.

"Dead? But how is she here now?" Hope remarked, looking at Baby warily.

"Nona is in bad shape because it... looked like she used all her power to revive you. I am surprised Nona isn't dead; she was drained of every last drop." Baby grimaced, wincing as the image of Nona's enraged form sparked in her mind. Bear pressed against her gently. Reassurance wasn't her strong suit, but she could tell that right now, Baby needed it more than anything.

"So I was right." Gala's head dropped. "She won't be able to come home if she is without her powers. She... will still live forever though. She was immortal far before she ascended as a Goddess." Gala squinted before taking in a breath. "Hope. I need you to protect her. Please let her stay here."

"That's not even a question, mom. Of course I'm letting her stay. She's no less now than she was moons ago. She still has all her experience and insight to offer us, even as 'just a cat'." Hope emphasized the last part, trying to take some of the edge off with a soft sigh.

"I am going now. I've been down here too long, and the last thing we need is for both of us Goddesses to be in bad shape. I'll be watching, and I'll come for her once she's fully healed." Gala rose to her paws, peering at the sky for a moment before suddenly fading away, bits of purple twinkling into the sky.

Hope's eyes followed the purple sparkles for a moment before she turned to Bear and Baby.

"Please go get some rest. You need it."

Without hesitation, Bear and Baby immediately made off to the Rogues den, and Hope's tense shoulders slowly calmed. She didn't have to be rigid and strong for the clan anymore. She could let out a distressed cry, and bury her head towards the ground; or so she thought. That was until a shadow appeared beside her. From the floating sheet of paper next to her, she could tell who it was; it was Swan.

"Swan?" Hope looked at the blue and white molly's expression; something in her eyes was filled with dread. The last thing Hope needed right now was something else to go wrong. However, even she wouldn't dare deny the abilities and powers of the Heart's Prophets.

"We need to talk. Outside of the camp; where no one else can hear us." Swan began, the scroll rolling up as Swan padded out of the camp.

Scrolls were part of Swan's prophetic talents; she would write down the things she heard or saw, and decipher them. If she was pulling Hope out of the camp during such a chaotic time, it must've been important. Hope quickly followed the molly, the two making a good distance away from the camp before Hope stopped in her tracks.

"Swan, what is this about?"

"I had a vision when the sky went green." Swan began. "I think I know what happened to Gala."

"What? What was your vision?"

"It... is hard to explain or even believe. Your mothers never mentioned her, but there is a third Goddess. In fact, she, Nona, and Gala all used to be together romantically." Swan began, opening the scroll and turning it towards Hope. Upon the scroll was one beautifully written name;

VIRA.

It was a name unknown to the Heart. Hope's eyes narrowed. "Are you certain?"

"Have my visions ever lead you astray?" Swan sighed before continuing. "The more concerning part is what she's a Goddess of." Swan grimaced at the thought before pressing on.

"She is the Goddess of Corruption. She wants to destroy Nona and Gala, and with it, the entire Heart."

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━ cats on patrol
Hope | She/Her| HP 100% | HUP 0% | Sick: N
Swan | She/Her | HP 100% | HUP 0% | Sick: N

━ writer's reply preference
default; scouting.

Notes:
nona and gala are
NEVEEER going on patrol again.

━ level 8
experience: 536/1000

━ inventory items used
n/a

━ active / monthly tasks:
n/a

━ opted in to death?
unfortunately yeah

━ inventory
bugs | 1 FP | x6
scraps | 1 FP | x1
mouse | 2 FP | x2
small fish | 2 FP | x4
frog | 3 FP | x1
minnow | 3 FP | x3
rabbit | 4 FP | x1
falcon | 5 FP | x1

herbs
burdock root | x1
coltsfoot| x2
catchweed | x1
sweet sedge | x1
borage leaves | x1
ragwort leaves | x2
foxglove seeds | x1
holly berries | x1
willow bark | x1
borage leaf | x1
alder bark | x1
wild garlic | x1
mallow leaf | x1
bindweed | x1
bright-eye | x1
broom | x1
blackberry leaves | x1
fennel | x1
deadly nightshade | x1
tansy | x1
herb of choice | x10

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[Kazin]

I want to risk death!
Username: Kazin
Clan link: TreeClan

[Kazin]

TreeClan
Last Explore Post | Last Response Received | reply preference: lore-based

Atlasdash couldn't believe he'd been stuck with his father again. He hated being out here, he hated being beside him, and he hated that every time he looked over at Stormbranch he thought about Snowheart and Azaleawhisker, both gone somewhere else, not seen for many moons. He knew that others had the same problems - that Solarspark and Novafrost were looking for their littermate too - but their problems didn't quite seem the same to him. Stormbranch wasn't the direct cause of their littermate leaving, and Stormbranch certainly didn't have direct relation to them and cause them turmoil being stuck on patrol over and over and over.

Let me out of here, he found himself thinking. Though he might end up leaving Hurricanestripe behind, his only other sibling that stayed back with TreeClan, it was something he was willing to bear. Hurricanestripe didn't seem to harbor the hatred towards their father that Atlasdash did, something the tom couldn't quite make himself understand. Stormbranch caused Blizzard, Snow, and Azalea all to go! There was no forgiveness for that.

Yet... something in Atlasdash knew that it wasn't Stormbranch's fault entirely. Winterdrift, their mother, was always keen to cause problems and rifts. Winterdrift led them away, into the wilderness, never to be seen again. But Atlasdash saw Stormbranch yelling at her, causing the rift to grow. Surely it was Stormbranch's fault, and his fault alone... right?

Atlasdash shook his head, looking over at his father now. They hadn't talked since the others left, and he could see that it was eating away at his father. Still, he kept up with his deputy duties, and just seemed to accept that Atlasdash wasn't interested in being family anymore. Atlasdash hadn't quite figured out if that caused him more anger, or if it helped; to pretend that Stormbranch was a stranger instead of family. He still hadn't decided, but what he knew now was that he was lonely. Hurricanestripe stopped talking to him too, on account of his anger towards their father. Snowheart was gone, the last cat that seemed to understand him - or so he thought. Why did Snowheart leave him behind? He didn't even tell him that he was leaving. Just gone, without a trace, alongside Winterdrift and Azaleawhisker and Blizzardheart. Why why why....

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he realized he was lagging too far behind. In the back of his mind, he longed to trot up to Stormbranch, to let out his feelings, to tell his father what he had been going through and how he missed talking to him and how he was sorry and he just missed Snowheart and Azaleawhisker so much. But he couldn't. At least not today. Not now.

--

"Our patrols have reported the sighting of rogues on the border. I don't want to attack, but I want to keep an eye on the threat. Stormbranch, Atlashdash, Solarspark, and Novafrost - you four know where you last saw the rogues, so I want you to continue to patrol together." Hemlockstar continued after that, but it was all static to Atlasdash. He was with his father. Again.

With a huff of annoyance, Atlasdash didn't bother to hide his frustration as the patrols started to gather. He barely gave Stormbranch a glance, though his heart longed to finally break the silence, and followed behind as Novafrost and Solarspark took up conversation with the deputy. You can't be mad at him like this forever, it isn't fair, Atlasdash thought to himself. But he was stubborn - he got that from his mom, he was sure - and he didn't want to give up. Not now.

And so he was following Stormbranch, letting them lead, trying to hang on the the fiery hot loathing he initially felt a few moons ago when everyone first split from the clan. He could feel the heat turning colder, lonelier, dissipating slowly. He so desperately wanted to keep hating Stormbranch, keeping hanging on to that hatred, but in its place was only despair and numbness.

He couldn't keep this up forever.

As the day grew longer, and the patrol decided to take a rest, Atlasdash had made up his mind. He was going to find a way to talk to Stormbranch, to at least apologize for his actions, and let his father decide if they were going to have a relationship. He couldn't do this forever. He couldn't.

--

"We're almost the the border where we saw the rogues," Stormbranch announced as the sun started to set. "We'll set up camp here and keep an eye on things. No sense in rushing forward without knowing if they are even a threat at all, but they might know something about our cats that left. Our goal is not to provoke, but to simply ask if they've seen them. We clear?" Solarspark and Novafrost made sounds of affirmation, but Atlasdash said nothing. He kept his head down, not meeting Stormbranch's eyes, not nodding. "Atlasdash?" Stormbranch said quietly, eyes knitted together in concern. He knew that his son wasn't going to talk to him, but he also knew that he didn't want his son to feel like no one cared. The tom quickly jerked his head in his own affirmation, turning his back towards Stormbranch to signal that he was not going to talk. In his heart, Stormbranch knew it, but he still felt deeply hurt and saddened that there was nothing he could do, that Winterdrift had somehow caused this huge hole in their relationship.

Each cat made their own nest afterwards, Solarspark and Novafrost sitting near each other but Atlasdash and Stormbranch stretched far apart. Stormbranch let himself lower into his nest, closing his eyes not out of exhaustion, but out of necessity. He wanted to think without others trying to read his expressions, trying to read what he was thinking. It was better if they would think he was sleeping.

Stormbranch thought about all that had gone wrong, and mostly about Winterdrift. She had been so sweet, kind, and gentle when the pair first met - so much so that Stormbranch was sure that they were going to be mates forever. When Blizzardheart came into the world, Stormbranch was sure that he was going to have a loving family alongside Winterdrift forever. But, things started to change after the next kits came into the world. She became snappy, hateful, blaming Stormbranch for not being more ambitious with the clan. She wanted him to stage a coup, to kick Hemlockstar out, to prove that TreeClan could be stronger now than it ever had been. She started speaking out against the Gardeners, trying to tell the clan that they were weak and not beneficial, that Kittypets should never be trusted, that they should start fighting everything and anyone... and while most of the clan disagreed with her, there were still those that thought her words had some merit. Blizzardheart, Snowheart, and Azaleawhisker - his own kits - included.

Winterdrift left with them. She took them from the clan, leading them who knows where, gone without a trace. When her plans of a coup didn't work, it was clear that her only option was to leave. Hemlockstar and Stormbranch hadn't even decided to exile anyone speaking out against the ways of the clan, and instead were going to let things settle, but it was clear that was the wrong choice as so many cats left in the night anyway. Families left broken, cats left wondering if their littermates were alive were dead, and there was nothing Stormbranch could do. He felt like it was his fault, even if he had no control over Winterdrift's actions, maybe he could have talked to her more. Talked sense into her. He knew that wouldn't have been a solution, but maybe it would have helped.

Still lost in thought, Stormbranch didn't hear the pawsteps approaching. The whisper of "hey, can I talk to you?" startled him as if it were a shout, and he opened his eyes wide to see Atlasdash standing in front of him, looking distraught.

"Of course," Stormbranch said, sitting up at attention immediately. "What is it? Is something wrong?" He quickly looked over at Novafrost and Solarspark's nest to make sure they were ok, and saw them sleeping, chests rising and falling gently.

Atlasdash paused, hesitated, and shook his head. "Nothing for the patrol, anyway," he whispered, still not meeting Stormbranch's eyes. "I just... wanted to apologize. For everything. It's not your fault that Snowheart and Azaleawhisker left, I know that, but I blamed you for so long. It's not your fault that Winterdrift hated the way Hemlockstar is running the clan. I know that, too. I just... wanted to say sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I... I can't live like this anymore and pretend to hate you. I did at first, I know I did, but... I can't. You didn't make them leave. You didn't push them away. It's never been your fault, and I see now that you've been protecting the clan and what the clan believes in... and I shouldn't punish you for that. I'm sorry." The words came out fast, and Stormbranch sat there, his mouth parted slightly in surprise. Stormbranch felt their heart soar, finally able to reconnect with his son.

"It's ok," Stormbranch whispered after a moment's pause, resting his tail on Atlasdash's back. "I will never hold a grudge against you for that. If you are ready to be a family again, I'm here. I will do my best to find Snowheart and Azaleawhisker, and Blizzardheart, and bring them back. I promise."

And Atlasdash realized that there was nothing more than he wanted than to be a family again.

[1,613 words]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[the patrol chooses to confront the rogues!]

[completed my active quest! - cat won here]

[I am also going to finally claim my Catvent XP! +220 xp]

-- cats on patrol
Stormbranch | he/they | HP 100% | HUP 10% | Sick: N
Atlasdash | he/him | HP 100% | HUP 10% | Sick: N
Solarspark | he/him | HP 100% | HUP 10% | Sick: N
Novafrost | she/they | HP 100% | HUP 10% | Sick: N

-- custom predators / prey
prey:
bugs, scraps, eggs | 1 FP
mouse, shrew, minnow, chipmunk, songbird | 2 FP
frog, small fish, bat, squirrel, snake | 3 FP
rabbit, woodpecker, trout | 4 FP
weasel, turkey, raven, goose | 5 FP
predators:
foxes, coyotes, bobcats, bears

-- level 2
experience: 19/300

-- items in inventory used
n/a

-- active quests | monthly tasks
active quest -- complete!
Monthly tasks completed:
n/a

-- opted in to death?
yes

-- inventory
eggs (1 FP) x10
chipmunk (2 FP) x2
songbird (2 FP) x2
squirrel (3 FP) x2
weasel (5 FP) x1

coltsfoot (1) | horsetail (1)
thyme (1) | dock (1)
mint (1) | feverfew (1)
daisy leaf (1) | catchweed (1)

[Kazin]

★ SUMMERCLAN
FoxyCipher ★ last post

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The question still had Goosefeather thinking, not necessarily paying attention to the prey scuttling around. In a bought of bad luck, she ended up causing a songbird to fly away, so close to her that she should've been able to catch it... had they been paying attention. Goosefeather shot an annoyed glance at Flamesight's raised eyebrow, giving the cat a daggered glare that they hoped would stave Flamesight from mentioning the lack of attention and lost prey. "I'll make up for it," Goosefeather called over to her companion, narrowing her eyes in concentration as they turned their attention to their next target. A frog, sitting out on the edge of a puddle.

Easy target, Goosefeather thought, her paws gliding almost effortlessly through the grass. Staying behind it was easy, but she knew that frogs were jumpy - quite literally - and could end up escaping their grasp at any moment. Slowly, carefully, she stalked her way closer and.... leaped! She soared overhead, landing without sound, and had the frog in her mouth in the same instant Flamesight's paw shot out into nearby water, hooking a tiny fish with a claw and sending it sailing into the sky. "Flying fish, flying cat," Flamesight joked with the light of mischief in her eyes. "Nice catch." Goosefeather found herself smiling over at their companion again. "You, too." (+1FP minnow, +2FP frog)

The duo sat together for a few moments, lapping the crisp water to cool themselves down before moving ahead. "Alright, Goosie, some gathering might help us out next," Flamesight said nonchalantly, tail up as she led the way down the trail a few paces before Goosefeather could respond. She stopped, occasionally speaking about some plants or leaves, and Goosefeather found herself following along, listening as Flamesight simultaneously gathered and chatted about the various foliage. (+1 fennel, +1 goatweed, +1 lavender, +1 raspberry leaves)

────── « ★★★ » ───────────────────────────────────────────────

★ FINDINGS ★
[ +1FP minnow, +2FP frog ]
[ +1 fennel, +1 goatweed, +1 lavender, +1 raspberry leaves ]

★ XP EARNINGS ★
death opt in/out

+20xp for words written
+10xp for patrol sent
+3xp for prey earnings
+4xp for herb earnings

★ FINAL TOTALS ★
[ +0% hunger for patrol ★ no health lost!
[ +37xp → level 0 (37/100xp) ]
[ two free explore posts remain! ]

[ notes: hi there, welcome to explore! c:
please don't hesitate to let the writers know if you have any questions! ]