[Ember the Wolf]

Username:
Clan: Willowclan

Quest Number: 3
Response:

Hawkmoth sighed heavily as he finally reached the top of the canyon; he couldn't believe Tigerstar had asked him to come all the way up here. Settling on his haunches, he paused to take a small break. He wasn't as young as he used to be, and it was a rough climb. As he tried to regain his breath, he looked out over the canyon edges, down to where the lake sat, sparkling in the evening sun. After a few moments, he stood again and made his way between the rocks to the spot that Tigerstar had indicated. Upon rounding the last large boulder that scattered the mesa top, he saw the familiar pelt of his former mentor and purred a soft greeting.

The tom turned his soft green eyes, fixing onto him, and purred in welcome before turning back to his viewpoint. Hawkmaoth gently brushed against him as he came and settled next to him, not speaking and just enjoying the moment. Unlike his vantage earlier, from this spot Tigerstar had chosen, the whole valley was visible from here, showing the slope of the lake, and the lower forests that blanketed the far end of the valley. Hawkmoth twitched his ear as he heard a coyote's crying in the far-off distance and shifted a bit anxiously. They still sat quietly, watching as the sun began to slowly dip behind the mountains, painting them a dusky grey and the lake a blaze of colors. Tigerstar finally broke the silence.

"Im getting old, Hawkmoth." He said softly. His gaze was still fixed on the valley below. "I was hoping to have accomplished more in my many lives. But it seems my time may be drawing to a close. Hawkmoth's heart skipped a beat as distant thunder rumbled, punctuating Tigerstar's words. He glanced at the tabby, mulling over what he could even say to that.

"I think you've accomplished many things," He finally said quietly. He had tried to think of examples, but to him, Tigerstar had done so many things that there was no way to choose just one or two. Tigerstar sighed softly and then looked at Hawkmoth fondly. Their relationship over the past few moons had been strained, and Hawkmonth had greatly missed spending time with him.

"You know Hawkmoth," Tigerstar said after another brief moment, "Cinderheart and I were planning on having kits, but then everything happened." He said, His eyes had that far-off look he always got when talking about Cinderheart. "The last thing she said to me, when she . . " He trailed off. I knew what he meant. I was there when it happened. I had been the one to keep the clan together, while Tigerstar tried to get through his grief. I met his eyes when he looked at me. His gaze was soft. "She told me you were the son I had always deserved." He glanced away. "They always say your kits are your legacy," He added, and I wondered briefly what he was getting at. I was about to ask what he was trying to tell me when he started speaking again.

"I know I've made things hard for you, and you deserved a much better father figure than me." his voice was thick with emotion. "But I will always stand by you, as my son. And I would be more than proud to know that my legacy, and everything I fought so hard for, was left behind in you," he said. My heart felt like it was going to burst, and at a loss for words, I buried my face into Tigerstars pelt, unable to deal with the emotions that were circling through me now. Purring softly, He gently gave the top of my head a few licks and curled his tail around me. As the moment stretched on and darkness began to envelop us, I finally raised my head. Without saying anything else Tigerstar carefully stood and looked down at me. For a brief moment, in Tigerstar's eyes, I saw all of the love and affection he never said out loud. And then, as lightning flashed illuminating him, my mind reeled, realizing why it suddenly looked so eerily familiar.

Word Count: 697

[clouds-move-on]

Username: clouds-move-on
Clan: Cat Crossroads

Quest Number: 1
Response:

[SushiFoxx]

Username: SushiFoxx
Clan: Fallen Rose Kingdom

Quest Number: 1
Response:

He was gone.

He was gone.

He would never come back to ride again.

Sepehr was gone. He’d fallen and he was never coming back.

They would never be able to ride together again.

His head spun, everything seemed to be slipping from his hold, everything was gone, he couldn’t believe just how quickly it had all fallen apart.

One second they were laughing about some stupid joke he’d forgotten about by now, the next there was a crack of thunder and the desperate shouts. Orev had flown after him as fast as possible, his ears pounding. Everything had slowed. Orev would never forget the fear that was covered on his face, the way he cried for Orev to save him. Those words rattled in his head even now, even in the silence of the herbalists' den.

Alderic was curled up with him, focused despite not saying a word. Orev appreciated it, enjoyed the company, but the ghosts in his head were unrelenting. Every so often he’d start screaming, eyes wide and feral. Sepehr had loved dragon riding, had dragged Orev down and convinced him that it would all be fine, that the honour and reward outweighed the risk. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Orev could still hear the calls of the other riders. He couldn’t miss the pitiful whine from Sepehr’s own dragon. The beast was falling itself, unable to gather its bearings as the rain pounded down on them. No matter how large the animal, the unrelenting wind caused Orev’s own dragon to struggle, thrashing frantically to get under itself. No matter how fast he went there was no chance, they were doomed, stuck in the endless fall. Sepehr had given in at this point, had stopped thrashing, his expression had softened and Orev hated that, hated that he’d given up. Sepehr had been mouthing something at him, but the blinding panic had caused him to ignore it.

Aiyana had called to him that somebody else was coming in who wanted to talk to him but Orev was stuck pacing his own memory for something to cling to. He barely registered who it was that walked in. When Orev had connected eyes with the king he was barely fazed.

Orev couldn't forget the way everybody stared at him as the other riders were calling for a herbalist while Orev was crumpled crying. The attention of the whole Kingdom had been drawn to him in that moment, he even saw the witches poking their heads out in concern. Thinking about it now made him hate the attention even more, hate the way they all looked at him with that pity in their eyes. Now, however, the king was staring at him.

“Orev?” His voice boomed, shaking him to the bone, forcing his attention onto the figure looming before him. The king's dark coat seemed to swallow all the light, his eyes focused and unforgiving as they scanned him up and down, analyzing, for what? His despair-addled brain could not gather.

“King,” he responded with the respected formality. Orev tried to block out the images flashing in his head, the ones that refused to let up.

“Would you like to talk about the passing? I’m sorry for your loss.” His voice mimicked care, but not enough to sound believable.

“I don’t think so..” Orev murmured, his head dipped.

“I think we should.” His jaw feathered in frustration but he quickly hid it. Even in his grief stricken fog, he knew there was something behind the King asking him.

“Okay..” Orev mumbled and covered his head. The thoughts still ran rampant.

“About Sepehr.. I’m sorry for your loss. He was a positive force on the Kingdom.” Astaroth noted with mock kindness.

“He was.. I’ll miss him forever.. he was my best friend.. I can’t believe he’s gone..” his voice shook. Orev could feel the fake emotions in the King.

“Of course. Now. We both know dragon riding is dangerous.”

“Of course it is.. but so many of the riders find passion in what they do.. they live through their dragons even though it’s dangerous..”

“Of course. Of course. But what would you do if you could keep Sepehr alive? Wouldn’t you sacrifice everything to save your best friend?”

“Obviously I would have.. he was my best friend… I don’t want him to be gone.. I’d do anything to bring him back..”

“But you can’t. Wouldn’t you do whatever it took to save the others from that pain?”

“Of course I would.. I would do as much as I could to save anybody else from the pain I felt.. I don’t want any other cat to feel that way..”

“Would you even say that it would be more worth it to perhaps.. ban dragon riding?”

“I can’t.. so many find their passion in that..”

“But it would save so many others from the grief you are currently feeling..”

“I couldn’t do that to them..”

“But you’d save them.”

“I would protect them.. I want to save them but I can’t ban it..”

“What about all the families you’d keep together in the end? Nobody else would have to worry about their loved ones going out and never coming back.”

Those words made him stiffen, Sepehr had been family to him. He could have kept him around if he’d never gone out. If he’d stopped him. If there had been no other way for him to go out. “Maybe..”

“I need a solid answer, Orev. Maybe doesn’t get me the information I need.” The king barked out.

“Yes.. yes.. maybe it would be better to ban dragon riding.. it would prevent the misery that so many families feel..”

“Good. I will make the announcement soon, then, so that they don’t continue to ride. No need for unnecessary danger that can be easily prevented.” The King stood, his tail swishing behind him. “I will be on my way.”

Orev hated the conversation. The voices that screamed at him to save him, the memories of what was lost. Everything hurt. And he was being forced to relive everything in the expectation that it would help. The King knew the pain he was in, but forced him to keep talking before Orev finally broke down and told the King that dragon riding was too safe to continue. He would have never answered like that without the loom of grief from his best friend over him.

The King knew that.

The announcement was same-day. Dragon riders gathered with a sparkle of hope in their eyes. Maybe the King would finally show respect to one of their lost. The previous king had loved dragon riders, helping form their respect, a dragon rider himself in his youth. This new King..

Orev already knew what was about to happen, could already imagine the anger. The least he could hope for is the King not announcing that it was his decision. But he knew, with the way he was placed beside him, that that was not going to be the case. He tried to shrink himself as small as possible, his head ducked in shame with his tail tucked in. Guilt ravaged his heart. Orev knew how many cats he would upset, and he’d tried to beg the King to stop, but the King had simply told him he was too miserable to think straight, that he knew what was best.

He only heard half of it, the other half a fog in his mind.

“We all know the unfortunate loss of a well known cat around Fallen Rose Kingdom. Sepehr has recently passed away due to a terrible storm,” The King began, the mock sympathy in his tone was scratchy like sandpaper. “… under careful consideration, thanks to Orev.. dragon riding… banned..” Even without hearing the rest, he could hear the uproar of dragon riders, the shame casted towards him. Orev wanted to hide in a corner, to never be seen again. His head remained dipped in shame, blaming himself. “Any cat caught breaking this rule will be cast out due to negligence of safety.” He barely heard as they were all dismissed, his paws shaking and his head pulsing.

Shouts echoed through the crowd, arguing and anger within the riders. Eventually the guards began to push them away, dispersing the angry crowd. Orev felt the ground rush towards him when the world went black. He hadn’t meant for this to happen. Why was this happening?

—

One of the herbalists had dragged him back to the cabin. Given him some herbs for his headache and something for his anxiety. Even still it felt like too much, overwhelming his senses. Orev was scared to leave the cabin, to listen to the uproar that would be against him. He knew how upset the riders would be, and that hurt. Even the herbalists seemed to move faster around him, only one stayed close to comfort him.

Orev could hear the whispers outside.

“How could he say that?” One mumbled.

“These are our prides!”

“This is important to us..”

Even more frustrated voices echoed around him. It was hard to mistake the upset outside the cabin.

“Should we confront him?” One questioned.

“No.. he’s still grieving, give him time..” another answered.

“Yeah, don’t force him.”

Orev wanted to poke his head out, to apologize, but he knew the herbalists would scold him for moving. The rush downwards had strained muscles and weakened his movements. Finally he heard the door creak open and a soft patter of pawsteps made their way in. A small Neinna wandered in and sat down.

“Sorry Orev.. they’re all pretty upset.. a lot of us forgive you though.. he shouldn’t have taken advantage of your vulnerability…” she murmured, her small voice comforting in his haze.

“I’m sorry.. I’m sorry..” is all he could muster up, his eyes heavy and his body weak. “I shouldn’t have told the king that.. I should have known..”

“You didn’t know any better.. you thought he would protect us..”

Those words hit him like a train, he couldn’t look away from those comforting eyes. Before he broke he ushered her out, the second the door was shut he started crying. Not gentle, remorseful cries, but gut wrenching wails like the ones when Sepehr was out of reach. His eyes squeezed shut and he buried his face in his paws.

“I regret this..” He mumbled to himself. “This is their life.. How could I fall for that… Now they’re never going to see their dragons again.. Now they’ll all have to retrain..” Orev was falling down the pit of doubt, and he knew it, but he also knew there was no way he was pulling himself out yet. Instead he blocked everybody else out and hid away in his head.

—-

It was almost a week later until he dared to exit the cabin, only eating scraps and whatever the herbalists forced into him. They’d made him go outside and try to stretch his legs. The second he stepped outside the door his head was dipped, trying to disappear in the mass of cats. However, some of the riders quickly separated him in the crowd, whispers circulated around him, talking about how he betrayed the riders, and how he disgraced his honor. Even with his head bowed, he felt the eyes on him, chasing him down. The whispers made his legs buckle and he wanted to run back into the herbalist cabin. That was when he felt a form press against his side, giving him something to lean on.

The golden fur caught the light, the darker face markings highlighted by the sun. Alderic. He had been there to comfort him just after, giving Orev something to cry into until the King had chased him away so he could talk to Orev. He glanced at Alderic with worried eyes, hoping the other tom with reprieve him of anything, some of the pressure that never seemed to let up.

“Why don’t we sit?” Alderic offered, and Orev couldn’t help but nod along and sit down, his head dipped in shame. “They don’t all blame you, you know? Many know the King manipulated you while you were at your weakest point.. It really isn’t all your fault, please let yourself relax.” He coaxed softly. “A few of the riders blame you for listening to the King, but the storm is slowing, we need you to help us to get it back, Orev, we can’t do this all with you wallowing in self-guilt for something you couldn't help.”

He finally dared to look at Alderic. Orev expected to see his face lined with fake sympathy, trying to get him to toughen up and ignore what was bothering him, but instead Alderic’s face was filled with genuine determination and stubbornness. Alderic looked like he wasn’t going to let Orev get away with hiding away forever, and Orev knew deep down that this was the truth, no matter how much it hurt him to know others were there to help him despite the fact that he let his best friend slip through his paws. His tail wrapped more around his paws, trying to block out the guilt that was trying to edge back in.

“I know..” He finally mumbled, the admission weak on his tongue. He knew not all of the others blamed him, and that almost hurt more. Orev wished they had something to blame, to be mad at, to take their frustration out on, even if it was him. However he also knew that they had his back, that all the dragon riders wouldn’t turn on him and that he always had shoulders to lean on no matter what mistake he made. No matter how bad it hurt.

Breaking him out of his thoughts, Alderic nudged Orev to bring him back to reality. “Hey, we’re here for you, but you have to be here for us too..” His voice knocked Orev back again and he nodded weakly, letting out a sigh.

After a moment they both stood again, wandering around the paths away from the bigger crowds. Alderic stuck close to him the whole time, never letting up, giving him a moment to think without allowing Orev to retreat.

“Do they still ride?” Orev mumbled faintly, barely audible.

“Most do. Some stopped in fear of the punishment. Many keep riding, saying that that is the main idea of being a dragon rider,” Alderic responded, looking over at the sky.

“Of course they do.. I’m not surprised.. I should have known..” He murmured with a faint bit of humour. Of course the riders would go against the demands of the royals.

“They want you to join us.. most don’t ride as much because they increased the security..”

“Why don’t we get them all.. I think I have an idea for them.” Orev responded, his brows pinched together in thought.

“I’ll try.. they’re probably out doing their reassigned jobs.”

Orev stiffened, of course they had reassigned the riders to different jobs. He couldn’t imagine how hard that was on them, to have to relearn everything alongside the learners. Those dragon riders always prided themselves on their independence. Now they were stuck with people who didn’t understand.

“I’ll try to gather them, though, see if I can get them all in the same space.” Alderic offered before dipping away once Orev returned to the herbalist’s den.

Orev watched him go and sat in his bedding, everything stinging harder. The riders had been reassigned jobs, he didn’t even know how much choice they had in the matter of what job they got. Everything finally sank in, realizing what had all happened and how his choice in words had caused all the riders to be misplaced. However, he quickly stopped himself, knowing the other riders didn’t blame him. That it wasn’t all his fault for what had happened. Orev had tried his best to do everything he could.

Finally he touched the prey that the herbalists had left behind. Orev blocked out the thoughts that had previously threatened to take over. He took the time to take a deep breath, to center himself. Everything would be okay. It wasn’t his fault that the King had taken advantage of him.

—-

They had all the riders in one spot, something that rarely happened even when dragon riding was allowed. The riders hated gathering together in one spot, saying it made them vulnerable. There was only ever one exception, and that was the honouring of the passing of a dragon rider. Alderic stood by his side, carefully analyzing the crowd of angry dragon riders. All they wanted was to be allowed to ride again without worrying about being cast out for something they did for their own happiness. None of them liked the King, thinking that he was full of something bad. Now, with him taking away something so many were passionate about, it only seemed that they were proved correct.

“I’m sorry..” Orev began, trying to hide the tremble in his voice. “I’m sorry that dragon riding is banned.. I’m sorry that I told the King to ban it.. I was overcome by the misery of losing my best friend and I hope you all will forgive me..”

Whispers began but he continued speaking.

“However, I would like to help you all find a way to continue dragon riding without anybody else finding out,” He continued. “I know you all have been reassigned to new jobs, and I am terribly sorry that you all must learn new ways..” Orev sucked in a breath to force himself to continue. “Many of you will be able to sneak out to continue riding, I will help cover for you all. Hunters and scouts will probably be the easiest.. Many other jobs may have to way until the night.. But I am willing to cover, to help weave stories, anything so that all of you are still able to continue with what you’re passionate about..”

He looked over at the crowd. Suddenly a ripple of noise came out. They were forgiving him. Orev didn’t think that he deserved the forgiveness that they were giving him, that he had done nothing for it. But they all appreciated it.

“I can help teach learners the ways of riding.. I will be taking on an early elder role.. I will do what I can to help you all go against the King.”

Agreement shook the crowd and Orev dipped his head in a silent respect. What he didn’t expect, however, was all the others to follow suit. The moment he looked up, all the riders' heads were bowed.

Alderic was right.

They needed him as much as he needed them.

And right now, they needed a way to rebel.


Word Count: 3,126 words


Quest Number: 3
Response:

The Kingdom was oddly silent for once, nobody dared move in the dead of night. It was peaceful, it left you with your thoughts, something many cats seemed to find a particularly distaste for. Leaving one with their thoughts also allowed their mind to wander to less favourable places, many would rather keep busy, almost burning themselves up simply to avoid thinking about something they had done in the past. Many cats' pasts seemed to haunt them like little ghouls on their shoulders that they could not seem to shake no matter how much good they tried to do to counteract it. Perhaps, however, Everbound was thinking too hard about it once more.

Her own thoughts seemed to wander quite often to places she knew were better left untouched.

What if I never trained to be a witch? Would I have a mate by now? Younglings? Why did I drag poor Althea into this mess… even she has a beloved mate and younglings who all look so perfect together… What if I had studied to be a guard instead?

Everbound knew those thoughts only spun up self-doubt, that it was better to tell herself it doesn’t matter anyways, she is where she is now because this is what she loves to do despite everything else going on. There was always something that seemed to nag in the back of her mind, that somehow she may have gone wrong somewhere, that maybe this wasn’t actually the path she was supposed to take, that she had gone against the goddess of fate. Even with her spiraling, Everbound knew the truth, she knew that yes, it would all work out in the end, and yes, the goddess of fate did have this path paved for her long before anything else had happened, long before the passing of the rider, and long before the king had turned corrupt.

Witches never have had the same connection to the goddess of spirits as the herbalists seemed to have, but Everbound did know that the other all-seeing had dream walked with her before. Nothing stirred, nothing rustled, there was a strange lack of noise within the usually bustling Kingdom, something that had always left her slightly uneasy. The multi-coloured she-cat shook her head and dismissed the thoughts, this was normal for the night during the Kingdom, even more so that they had just had a big celebration about the promotion of several younglings.

Being a witch granted prejudice, the inability to truly express yourself. A cat could be the kindest ever, but still be whispered about in the shadows because they took up being a witch as their job. There was a reason there had always been so few witches in the Kingdom, the royals had always advised to take up fewer learners as the job was frowned upon, and they wanted as few learners being ‘tainted’ as possible. Those words had always stung to her, that the idea of being a witch would wreck a learner of their potential.

Althea managed to prove her otherwise, the way her eyes lit up whenever she messed with the ingredients or how she always seemed to welcome the uncomfortable. She was a soothing presence, something pleasant for the usually barren days. Everbound knew, however, that this wasn’t her Althea, that they had been switched, but she also knew that sometimes the gods did funny tricks, and she just had to accept them. The way Althea seemed to trail after Atlas was never lost on her, she knew that Althea was head over heels for them before Althea herself even knew, which added to the charm now with all their younglings running around.

She seemed to fit in so effortlessly, moving around the cabin like she was always supposed to be there. Everbound found herself smiling whenever Althea discovered a new recipe or a new ingredient, never forgetting how many times the young she-cat had wandered over to Everbound with an ash crusted face, sneezing as she mumbled it did not work. Each time they walked through it again, saw what went wrong, and fixed it. Althea always told her it was nice to have a super supportive mentor, teaching her all the ways, but Everbound couldn't shake the feeling that she could be corrupting the she-cat with the way of the witch.

No matter how many times Althea told Everbound that this was what she wanted to do, Everbound could never properly believe her, assuming it was all a hoax to make her feel better about it. The doubt always seemed to find a way to creep back in when she thought she was safe, tugging her down. It was an unrelenting wave of guilt, an ebb and flow she could never shake. Everbound knew in her heart that Althea properly wanted to become a witch, learn the ways, but she also knew how it felt to be shunned, and she didn’t want that for her. She knew she deserved something better.

Then, somehow, the couple had stumbled upon a small youngling, Eirine, she was called. She had never noticed how the youngling seemed to stick to her when Althea and Atlas were gone, how she always seemed to have a nose in whatever concoction they were currently making. Eirine was always so joyful, jumping up and down and cheering them on ever when it felt like everything happened to be slipping from their paws. Everbound always welcomed the purple spotted youngling, teaching her the ways and tricks.

Everbound knew full well when Orev began sneaking the youngling out. Eirine would become more tired after long ventures and seemed to sleep through everything, it didn’t take a genius to figure out the late dragonrider was teaching her the ways he so dearly missed. She missed the constant company, the small lump of pure chaos that beamed over her shoulder whenever she said something new. However, she didn’t miss the yearning Eirine always seemed to have when she gazed out of the cabin, always looking so longingly.

The witch had overheard Atlas and Orev mumbling, saying something about how all the dragons seemed drawn to Eirine. Everbound couldn’t miss the unmistakable energy around a rising god or goddess. The way their energy seemed to shift just slightly stronger, or the sheen their coat held that nobody else seemed to have no matter how hard they tried. She’d tried to ignore it at first, to tell herself that she was misinterpreting the signs, but the moment Atlas and Orev had been mumbling about the dragons she knew they had one on their hands.

They always told her that it was a skill not many had, but Everbound could never fully understand what was bestowed upon her or why she would need it. The ability to pick out gods or goddesses from the rest of the population never really seemed that important to her. Everbound caught her eyes wandering towards the castle once more, the palace that held the royals. Something tugged low in her stomach that she couldn’t seem to shake.

That was when Althea arrived back with a pouch of supplies, the smile on her face warmed Everbound. Everbound immediately jumped back into caring, smiling and moving around to help put things away.

If the Kingdom wouldn’t accept witches, the least she could do was be kind to those who needed it.

Word Count: 1,232 words

[Kazin]

[ Start of June Round ]

"Thank you all for your replies!! I'll have your prizes figured out soon!"

The current round has ended.

June Quests
hiya, I have judged the June quest board c: if I missed anything or messed something up, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Quest #1
Hazelfang -- 50xp
DawnDenki -- 65xp
MireyaDC -- 115xp
ivyy. -- 50xp
taichi -- 100xp
Thani -- 160xp
FoxyCipher -- 40xp
Clouds-move-on — 50xp
Sushifoxx — 165xp

Quest #2
Hazelfang -- 25xp
MireyaDC-- 105xp
dimi. -- 40xp
Thani -- 35xp
StormSerpent -- 45xp

Quest #3
Hazelfang -- 50xp
Butter Dragon -- 20xp
dimi. -- 60xp
Thani -- 25xp
StormSerpent -- 40xp
Ember the Wolf — 60xp
SushiFoxx — 70xp

Please remember to link to this post in your next explore post to use your exp!

"And here are some special prizes for everyone who participated!
You can use this to buy some cool stuff from StarClan's shop!"

Hazelfang -- 250 stardust
DawnDenki -- 130 stardust
MieryaDC -- 440 stardust
ivyy. -- 100 stardust
taichi -- 200 stardust
Thani -- 440 stardust
FoxyCipher -- 80 stardust
dimi. -- 200 stardust
StormSerpent -- 170 stardust
Butter Dragon -- 40 stardust
Ember the Wolf — 120 stardust
Clouds-move-on — 100 stardust
SushiFoxx — 470 stardust

"Thank you all for participating! I loved hearing about each of your Clans!"

"While I loved all of your entries, these ones were my favorites! Here's something extra for your hard work!"

Quest #1 - ivyy. & Thani
+1 UR MYO each

Quest #2 - MireyaDC & StormSerpent
+1 R MYO each

Quest #3 - Hazelfang & dimi.
+1 R MYO each

"Wait wait wait, I have more questions, don't leave yet!"

A new round has begun!

QUEST #1
Draw or write about a broken relationship between two cats
You may write and/or draw your response to this prompt.

QUEST #2
Draw about one of your cats that believes they’ve been visited by Starclan/deities/spiritual ancestors/etc before
You may only draw your response to this prompt.

QUEST #3
Write about a cat’s dearest memory
You may only write your response to this prompt.

[DawnDenki]

Heck yeah! NEW Quests!!

Username: DawnDenki
Clan: Sun Followers

Quest Number:
Response:
Word Count: (If applicable)

QUEST #1
Draw or write about a broken relationship between two cats
You may write and/or draw your response to this prompt.

QUEST #2
Draw about one of your cats that believes they’ve been visited by Starclan/deities/spiritual ancestors/etc before
You may only draw your response to this prompt.

QUEST #3
Write about a cat’s dearest memory
You may only write your response to this prompt.

[BingoDingo03]

QUEST #1
Draw or write about a broken relationship between two cats
You may write and/or draw your response to this prompt.

[902 words]
Before the power-struggles started, Luminity and Exquisite were the strongest power in the land. They ruled with each other, dominating the territories around them. They had an affectionate relationship as well as a neat family of four.

Their home was comfortable; a fair distance from the more gruesome colonies. They were safe. Though, in the long run, their partnership blinded them to their subjects’ discomfort. The Glow and the Cavern cats were not getting along so well. Some cats had clashing differences with each other, causing an increase of infighting. Some of their subjects tried to make the royalty listen, only to be turned away like ungrateful kits.

The anger grew to a point where an inside rebellion stirred, led by Hill themselves. Hill, a fellow Glow-kin, despised the Cavern cats wholly.The outrage around them fueled their determination to get rid of Exquisite and her cats for good.

Their rebellion,“The New Order”, as they called themselves, made plans to turn Exquisite against her partner. They tried everything; from meeting up to rant in secrecy to manipulating conversations, redirecting their ponderings to the royals leadership issues. Rumors and fake scenarios were spread around at a rapid rate, furthering Hill’s plans. Finally, a tragic event caused Exquisite to question things about Luminity and her subjects.

Then came the devastating blow.

One accusation led to another and Exquisite broke their long time partnership. And by “partnership”, not only did they mean their relationship, but their emprier. Hurtful words were flung at each other, further breaking the drift with them. At this point, Hill and their rebellion rallied around as the two bickered, seizing their moment to wreak havoc. They threw insults at the Cavern-kin, whilst the Glow-kin held their ground as they hurled some back.

There was a lack of control, the crowd had turned into a mass of enraged cats. Luminity, finally having enough of Exquisite’s nonsense, demanded her and the rest of the Cavern cats to leave. So, the Cavern-kin was to be banished, but one question remained. What about the kits?

Luminity made a decision, their own kits had to choose sides. Reluctantly, Exquisite agreed, though she felt it was unnecessary. They’ll be going with her anyways!

Their kits thought otherwise, however. They kits were horrified, never had they thought their loving mothers would coldly force them to choose! But as they were their parents, While they debated about their places, the whole hollow watched silently. They concentrated, constantly looking up at their parents for approval. There were no looks of encouragement or disdain; for the two were narrowing their eyes at one another.

Soon enough, they choose. Only one sided with the Cavern-kin: Lyric. The other three stayed with the Glow-kin, a torn feeling in their hearts. To be separated by a misunderstanding; they thought they’d see the day.

Luminity, not satisfied with this arrangement at all, made her ex-partner leave the hollow, guards following from behind. Hurt and As the Glow-kin blocked Exquisite’s entry through the hollow, Luminity coldly turned her back, never to set eye on her ex-partner again.

The empires officially went for one, into two.


Just a moon after the Cavern cats split, more animosity was brewing between the two groups. One of Luminity’s children, Glistening, went missing in the night. Search parties were sent all over the territory, only to end up with nothing. Their scent was muddled and their pawprints went in circles. It was mind-boggling. Luminity had no clue where they could be, but she couldn't help but feel a nagging feeling in her mind.

The Cavern-kin were full of hostility since the departure. They’ve been caught stealing prey (which they weren’t going to eat) and had been causing more scuffles lately. It looked like Exquisite was becoming more spiteful by the second.

Of course. The Cavern-kin were behind this. They must’ve taken Glistening away, she knew how Exquisite looked before she left. She wanted two kits to follow her pawsteps, not one.

She wanted a war, and she’ll get one!

Luminity's kits begged her to not lead them to war; maybe Glistening had not been taken? Logic was out the window for her though, and pushed aside her children, leaving them to weep with sorrow. Cats were going to get hurt, and for what?

Gathering as many cats as she could, she and the army left for the caverns.

They marched to the caverns, only to be met with hostility. The Glow-kin accused the Cavern cats of kitnapping; they were having one of the Glow’s lies. Tempers flared, claws scraped the ground as they spat at one another. The Cavern-kin avidly denied any part in Glistening’s disapearrance, but Luminiy’s army refused to believe them. They were tormenting them for a while now,

Luminity forced her way to Exquisite, promising a war if she refuses to give her child back. A swift signal came from Exquisite and the whole cave echoed with war cries.

The war went on longer than they expected. For weeks, the two colonies fought each other, nearly forgetting why they were battling at all. Luminity finally caught Exquisite’s pelt in the fray. One mighty leap later and they locked themselves in battle. She had gotten in the final word.

Never. Again.

To this day, the two colonies seethe after forty years had passed. Things, sadly, seem to not be changing any time soon.

All because of a small misunderstanding.

QUEST #2
Draw about one of your cats that believes they’ve been visited by Starclan/deities/spiritual ancestors/etc before
You may only draw your response to this prompt.

I think I saw Critter's ma a while back! She was chatting about somethin', but I was too focused on how...faded she is. I haven't seen her since she passed from heatstroke....

QUEST #3
Write about a cat’s dearest memory
You may only write your response to this prompt

[1,182 words]

Way, way back when Grater was a kitten, he used to have a strong bond with his father. Together, he felt as though he was on top of the world! Nothing was more important than him, and in turn, Grater was the best thing that ever happened in his life. Grater was spoiled very often, much to the annoyance of the rest of the junkyard cats. His father gave him the whole world at his paws. Sure enough, Grater embraced every second of it, never wanting his father to leave his side.

His father, even though he was busy being the Boss of the junkyard, was still highly attentive to his son. Grater would argue that his father clearly put more effort raising him than his own mother.On his off time, he’d prance around and goof off with his son. He never cared if he looked like an overgrown kit. Whenever Grater brought this up, either from passing gossip or, he’d snort and say, ”they can eat their own tails or all I care. I’ll live my life like I want to.” You can see where Grater received his arrogant attitude from, that’s for sure.

Ask him about his greatest memory he’d ever held dear, Grater would always pick, “the one with the dogs.” Yes, there was a time where he and his father were able to fight off a whole pack of dogs. A two to five! Well, it wasn't much of a fight. This was more of a "scaring off your opponents" kind of encounter.

Anyways, it all started when the two were having a father-son day. They were playing some sort of game- -Grater could not for the life of him remember what it was called, at the well-known fish spot. Tired and hungry, they both agreed to grab some fish. After some time passed, Grater and his dad stirred up a small playfight, totally ignoring their surroundings in the midst of happiness. Snatching his father’s last fish, he ran off, expecting him to give chase. Not listening to his father’s panicked calls, he ran off.

He skidded to a halt. It had been a solid minute since he heard his father. Looking around Grater caused himself to end up in unfamiliar territory. Shrugging, he expected his father to come and find him later. All that he was worried about was finishing his stolen meal before his father catches up.Grater found a small spot down an alleyway to rest while his father figured out where he went.

As he started to dig in, a growl made his fur stand on end. There were five fully grown dogs glaring at Grater. Apparently, he wandered into their roaming territory without noticing!

The dogs were rigid with anticipation as they crept towards him. Their ribs jutted out from their bodies; their pelts rank with filth and their jowls drooled with hunger. Their sharp fangs gnashed and snapped at him, just dying to dig into some cat flesh. Grater flattened his ears and hissed, attempting to stand his ground. What’s the use, he couldn’t fight these slobbering beasts! It took a spotted dog to nip at his face to start the chase. A volley of explosive barks sounded behind him as he fled the alleyway. He could feel the hot breath from the dogs on his tail. He felt as though all his senses went blind. He had to escape!

Turning into another alleyway, he hoped he could find just one wall to leap over. What he saw made his heart drop to his stomach. It was a dead end. Grater was about the spring once again if it wasn’t for the dogs blocking his view. He could see the starved looks in their eyes. He was going to be eaten alive!

Out of nowhere, a familiar scruffy black and white pelt landed in front of Grater. He was bristled up into a furious ball of fluff, claws unsheathed. He spat a barrage of insults and curses at the dogs, so many Grater had never even heard before! Each time a dog tried its luck and lunged forwards, his father lashed out in a frenzy of claws. He was so brave!

Snapping out of his shock, he joined in the fray, spitting and lashing out with his claws. Intimidated, the dogs back up a bit, still snarling and snapping in retaliation. He matched his father, swiping and hopping on his toes. Oddly, this was sort of fun, picking on the bumbling fleabags. One brindled dog locked eyes with Grater and attempted to lunge towards him. Grater broke his form and clenched his eyes bracing for the impact.

It felt like ages passed before he opened an eye. Surprisingly, he saw he had not a single bite wound. Looking up though, that was a different story. A black pelt blurred at the dogs’ heels. There his father was, twisting and dodging around the dogs’ legs. He struck at one dog’s foreleg, then bounced onto the head of another. The dogs howled in fury as they tried to grasp the black and white cat, but he was too fast. His agility made it easy to strike, making the dogs too slow to react. Once the dogs were trying to catch their breath, Grater’s father made his final move.

With a mischievous glint in his eye, he gave a quick nip to a blue dog’s rear. While the dog whipped around to see the culprit, he did the same to a brown dog. Twisting under the confused dogs, he tapped his tail to another dog, this time a scruffy canine. Angry at the “betrayal” of its pack, the blue dog turned its rage to the brown dog. The supposed leader of the pack leaped in the fray, the others rallied by their own frustration. Again, another round of barks sounded off. But, this time, it was not with the two cats.

Breaking free from the confusion, his father grabbed Grater's scruff, forcing him to his paws. With a wink, he made a lightfooted leap out of the alleyway, his son following behind. They didn’t bother to look back. The bays and howls faded into nothing as the two pelted towards home.

Once they stopped for a breather, they glanced at each other, panting hard. Grater's eyes bulged from his sockets. He had never seen anything like that before! Silence. A snicker built up in his fathers chest, then rose to a burst of laughter. Grater’s eyes lit up in amusement before letting out a holler as well. Grater tackled his father as they rolled around in glee.

Sighing, they laid on their backs, looking up at the stars above. Grater’s father patted his son on the head, trilling, “You’re one troublesome kit, you know that, Grater?”

Grater teasingly stuck out his tounge. “Yeah, like you!” They both joked for the rest of the night, still snickering about their encounter with the dogs and the amazing wittiness of his father.

No wonder why his father was named Slick, Grater’s father was a one of a kind cat!

[Hazelfang]

Username: Hazelfang
Clan: The Blessed Lupus

Quest Number: 1
Response:

Reddish-brown fur trembled against a tepid gust, curling strands of ebony onto eyes of gold and grey. Strewn atop the ruddy shoulders was a delicate fabric- decorated with golden tendrils, sheer against umber skin. It, too, fluttered in the breeze, threatening to fly away as fallen leaves.

"Just a bit further and we will reach the cavern's entrance!" the tom's words spliced the space between the two travelers. One, a wandered with no place to call a home. The other, bound to a home yet forced to wander. Their union a dichotomy, united by destiny. Fate had plans neither could comprehend- challenges unanticipated, judgement yet untold.

A sigh tore through the cinnamon tom's body as he reflected on his thoughts- or rather- their thoughts.

"We cannot slow down for even a second, we must reach the Harmony! a young queen declared, her voice quivering in fear of a threat only she could see.

Another cry followed, higher in pitch, "I'm scared! We can't go in the cavern, we don't know what's there!"

"Hush, now. You're already dead so you have nothing to be afraid of," a harsher voice replied, icicles of exasperation piercing their tone.

"Even if we may already be dead, I don't want to have to die a second time walking right into this death trap! a young tom huffed, a reflection of the prior's irritation, but in a different light.

The voices throbbed against their mental confinement, sending sharp aches splintering through their unfortunate host. Since starting the journey, Osprey observed, they had gotten far louder. And far angrier. As though it wasn't enough that I had to abandon Elowen and our kits... the cinnamon feline thought to himself, exhaustion weighing heavy upon his shoulders. In reality, it had been since the birth of his first daughter that the voices had grown restless. Samara...

"Hey, bird brain!" the ruddy cat's sharp mew pulled Osprey from the shackles of his mind, returning his attention to the present. "We are here." A cavernous opening stretched far before them, seemingly endless in size. Spluttering of water echoed from the entrance, rhythmically lapping at their senses. It was unsettling, to say the least. "Are you sure about this, bird brain?" the nickname had grown on Osprey, as leech would latch to flesh.

A deep breath filled the tom's lungs as he nodded to his companion, "I am certain... I have no choice."

"You always have a choice," Tanager replied, muzzle turned towards the void. Osprey would have liked to believe he had a choice. But he knew it not to be true.

"Thank you, Tanager. Truly, I am so gr-"

A shrill voice interrupted the tom, mysteriously emanating from within the cavern, "Well, well, well. Look who we have here." An inexplicable sense of dread paled the complexion of Osprey's ruddy companion, their black-tipped ears folding back against their head. Unease prickled the cinnamon tom's paws as he looked from the nomadic cat, back to the pitch entrance.

Dark shadows slipped off the emerging feline's shoulders, falling behind her inelegantly. The molly bore a frigid expression, her sharp green gaze lodging thorns of ire towards the two toms. Sat between the blades of her shoulder was a towering bird, possessing an equally bitter sneer within its pair of beaded amber. The pair held a menacing aura, a fog of intensity seemingly enveloping their presence.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, dear brother," the words spilled from her bared teeth as a venomous spat. Sharpened fangs glinted beneath the midday sun- an open threat.

Osprey glanced towards the ruddy tom trembling beside him, watching as the feline swallowed the panic likely rising from his twisted stomach. "Euphie..." the tom breathed out, the name hardly a whisper.

Yet, it seemed to only enrage the she-cat and her companion further. The pair let out a vicious hiss, the pitch biting at their sensitive ears. "You have no right to call me that," the feline spat once more, pointed claws slipping free from pale red paws. The fur along the length of her spine quivered, rising higher along her spine until she appeared larger. More threatening. "Not after you abandoned me."

Her words struck Tanager, the fire in his eyes seemingly extinguished by such a short statement. The tom's head hung in front of him, whiskers brushing the sanded path as he did. "I never wanted to- I never thought," he began.

"Shut up[," the ruddy she-cat snarled, swiping towards the bowed feline. She missed- intentionally. "I have not a clue why you are here, or why you thought it wise to show your stupid muzzle here ever again. But I don't care. You and-and this stranger," she beckoned towards Osprey, with the length of her tail, "are not welcome here."

Panic struck Osprey's chest as he made a hasty step forward, "Wait! Can we please talk this over? I'm sure we can work so-"

Tingling pain shot through the cinnamon feline as barbed claws met delicate flesh. Droplets of red splattered against sand, streaking down from fresh wound against his cheek. "I won't warn you again. Leave."

Word Count: 854 words

✧✧✧

Quest Number: 3
Response:
Word Count: (If applicable)

Write about a cat’s dearest memory
You may only write your response to this prompt.

[MireyaDC]

Username: MireyaDC
Clan: Echeide Clan

Quest Number: 1
Response: If you don't understand something due to a bad translation, I have the original text in Spanish HERE

The Bengal cat approached him, rubbing her shoulder against his. “Everything will be fine as long as we're together. And I'll always be by your side.” Her words were tender, soft, and filled with great affection. “If we've survived the volcano and crossing the sea, we can do anything. And Chaxiraxi promised us land to create our own Clan. It's a dream, a blessing…”

Her mate, on the other hand, seemed a little hesitant, not yet infected by Acerina's optimism.

Tanausú sighed. “I think we should look for a Clan that will accept us, a safe place to live. You're pregnant, and it could be dangerous.”

“You're a leader; you can't just join another Clan.”

“I was a leader, but the volcano left little of my lands. We have no home, and the Clans on this island don't know I was a leader. It wouldn't be a problem for them to accept us, and we need a safe home for you to have our kits.”

“Of course! And that safe place will be the land the mother goddess promised us, where you will be leader and I will be by your side at all times.”

“I think in this land they call it mencey, not leader.”

“Is that a yes?”

Tanausú snorted and nodded, beginning to walk inland to the southeast, following the goddess’s trail to reach their new home. A dream place, according to Acerina.

… o … O … o …

Sharp, rough black rock underfoot as far as they could see, barely any plants, barely any food, no drinking water in sight, surrounded by humans, and two immense volcanic cones rising to the east of the territory… it seemed barely more habitable than their old territory had been left after the volcano erupted. With the volcanic cones looming over them like a constant threat.

Iruene had taken their home from them; they didn’t want Guayota to take it from them again.

At first, they tried to maintain hope; the mother goddess hadn't guided them there to found a new Clan if the place were uninhabitable. But while Tanausú's hopes grew with the discovery of drinkable underground water, shelter, and food, Acerina's continued to plummet.

After the birth of her daughter, little Aridane, the only cub in the litter, the situation worsened.

A terrible storm during the new moon caused the tide to rise one dark night and waves to enter the den. The water didn't reach the corner where Acerina slept with Aridane.

Acerina was enraged. "I hate these lands," she yelled at her mate. "They are not the promised lands of fertility and safety where we can start a Clan. It's not a safe place to have our cub!"

Tanausú looked at her, raising an eyebrow, his tail wagging in annoyance and his ears flat. “I suggested we join another existing and safe clan. You were the one who insisted on going to find those lands for the new clan. And they're not that bad either! There's more prey than they look. I've found underground drinking water, and don't worry about the sea. I'll move the rocks so the waves have a harder time reaching the tunnels. It's too late to change my mind.”

Without another word, Tanausú left the den and began rolling as many rocks as he could, creating a bit of a wall around the tunnel entrance to slow the waves.

“That's not very stable. If you want to build a breakwater, I recommend going further away and using heavier rocks. Besides, I don't think the ecologists would be too pleased with a cat disturbing their ecosystem.”

Tanausú turned around, startled, and saw a mottled brown cat with differently colored eyes watching him from atop a rock. Without a second thought, he jumped onto the rock next to her, striking a defensive pose. “Who are you? Don't you know this territory now belongs to me? The great goddess commanded me to start a new clan here.”

The cat raised an eyebrow, almost amused by the Tanausú's attitude. “So you're the new mencey they prophesied, huh? I'm Ada, Kittypet. I live in the village, and for a long time I've been the only cat with the balls to venture into these lands, always accompanying my human, of course… Oh! Twoleg, I think you call him.” She didn't seem at all intimidated, but he was intimidated when he saw the twoleg in the distance, signaling Ada to come back with him. “I'm not going to kick you out, nor will my man, but if you want to build a good protection for your cave, you'll need help.”

He didn't have time to stop her; she called the human, and he ran to see what was happening. He was surprised when he saw Tanausú, but when he discovered Acerina and Aridane huddled in the tunnel, soaked with seawater, he understood what had happened. He didn't help protect the cave; he did something else. "They're volcanic tubes, Adita, but since the Cave of the Wind is so branched out, we must find the holes. Run, let me know if you see one."

It didn't take long for them to find several holes throughout the floor that led to the tunnel network and to a safer area closer to the drinking water that Tanausú had spotted. He and Aridane soon moved to the new area, Acerina being somewhat more reluctant to obey a twoleg. Once they were all moved, the boy blocked the other entrance with rocks so that during a storm, the water wouldn't rise too far inside the tunnel.

Tanausú thanked Ada profusely for this, and the cat offered to help him with anything else he needed, whether it was food, shelter, or babysitting. She did, however, give them some guidelines on which animals they shouldn't hunt if they wanted to live there. If they didn't hunt those species, they wouldn't anger the twolegs, and they would be safe there.

"Who is that cat?" Acerina roared once Ada had left. "Why so much trust in her and that twoleg? You looked very comfortable with her."

Her husband frowned; he had never seen Acerina jealous. "I just met her, and she offered to help us. I don't see the problem."

“The problem is that she discovers our hiding place, a twoleg, forbids us from hunting half of the already limited prey available, and you just smile and thank her.”

“Sweetheart, she helped us and gave us some advice, that's why I thanked her. I don't see the problem, but if you want, I won't see her again, okay?”

Acerina seemed to calm down for the moment and went to nurse Aridane. But situations like this became more and more frequent.



One day, Tanausú arrived at the cave with a large, freshly caught fish and a rat. “Look, sweetheart, with this we'll have more than enough food for a while. Even Aridane might try fish for the first time.”

“Where did you get it? Aren't you wet?”

“Oh! When I killed the rat, the twolegs were so happy and grateful that they gave me the fish. Isn't that great? Maybe it's not the greenest and most lush territory, but we'll never have to fear the twolegs again. It's wonderful.”

“That's no wonderful; it goes against the rules of all the clans.”

“Maybe is like that in other clans, but here I'm the mencey, and it's my decision to accept the twolegs. It's our best resource for survival right now.”

Acerina was insecure and uneasy, even more so when the first members began to join the clan. One, a cat who didn't want to be treated as "she", but as "they", and had to flee her clan because of it, but Tanausú accepted them. He also accepted a loner who was raising a demonic lizard and who claimed to have had dealings with Guayota himself.

Tanausú insisted they were good cats and useful to the clan; the trans were incredible healers and very loving and responsible; and the other was a responsible, wise cat, a good hunter, and had the lizard that would protect the clan. But Acerina didn't see it that way, and she grew angrier every day.

One night of a full moon, when Mencey and Archimencey went to meet with the leaders of the other Clans, Acerine slipped into the shadows and disappeared without a trace, taking little Aridane with her.

Tanausú was devastated. He searched everywhere for them, any trace, any clue, but found nothing but Acerina necklace left behind in the cave.



Two more cats joined his Clan, and then the next full moon arrived, his chance to ask the other leaders if they had seen them.

Two said they had seen them and chased them out of their territory. A third said he accepted Acerine's in the membership, but not Aridane's because she had the blood of another mencey. They gave Acerina time to decide what to do, and she joined the other Clan alone. But… Tanausú hadn't seen Aridane this entire Moon, and if she wasn't in the other Clan… "I must talk to her," he insisted worriedly. "I must know where my daughter is!"

“This isn't a common request you're making, but… I lost my daughter last moon. She ran away from the clan, and I haven't seen her since. I understand your concern for your daughter and that you want to know if she's okay… Tomorrow at dusk, we'll meet right here. I'll try to convince Acerina to come so you can talk.”

The next night, Tanausú went alone to the meeting place. At first, he feared they'd tricked him and wouldn't show up, but right at midnight, the mencey from the other clan appeared with Acerina.

“Acerina! What have you done? Why…? Why did you leave? And Aridane?”

“Don't pretend you don't know, Tanausú! You know very well why I left. You know very well why I chose you as my partner,” she replied, and he frowned. He could have sworn that when she chose him over Mayantigo as her partner, it was out of love. “I had to choose between two powerful leaders. I made you swear you wouldn't bicker with each other for me, to keep the peace and keep my territory, the largest territory on the island, yours. But now… now those lands are fodder for lava, and your new territory isn't much better, small and infested with twolegs, with a clan made up of the dregs of other clans. That's not a worthy home for me.”

“It was our home, ours, with our daughter… Where is she? Where is Aridane?”

“I left her back in your territory, right on the border.”

“She's a little kitten. You should have left her in the caves. A predator could have eaten her or gotten lost and starved to death. Don't you care?” She didn't respond; she lowered her head, looking remorseful, as if she hadn't considered the possible consequences. “At least tell me where in the territory to go look for her, just in case… just in case I can still find her.”

“Beyond the volcano, near the ruins.”

There were no more words between them. Tanausú ran to the indicated place, and Acerina returned to the other clan.

The search was in vain. Tanausú mobilized the entire clan, the dragon, Ada, and Ada's allies, searching the borders, looking for any trace of the little girl without success, for days, weeks…



Almost a moon had passed when Ada arrived at the Clan, runing.

She was carring a piece of paper that she placed on the ground in front of Tanausú with a big smile. It was a picture of Aridane. “A boy found her on a school trip to the botanical garden at the ruins. They took her to the vet, and she's safe and sound. Now they're looking for a home for her among the twolegs, but they say she's very skittish and shy, and she doesn't want to go with anyone. I think... she wants to come back to you.” Tanausú was crying with joy that her little girl was alive. “I convinced my human to take her to my house. She'll arrive this afternoon. Come, and you can pick up your daughter.”

“Thank you, Ada! Thank you so much!”

Word Count: 2034 words

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Quest Number: 2
Response:

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Quest Number: 3
Response:

For months, Ada and Jonay spent trying to teach Gara to fly. They ran across a rooftop, reached the edge, and just then, Gara would always stop dead. They tried from the diving board of a swimming pool, so that if she fell, she wouldn't hurt herself, and Jonay accompanied her to the end. He even jumped over the needle to encourage her to jump in too, but Gara would stop at the edge again.

It didn't take long for them to discover that she was afraid of heights.

Then Ada came up with an idea that only she could have thought of: a lookout point at the top of a ravine, outside the Echeide clan's territory, but not too far away. A large lookout point from which you could see the entire territory, the sea, and far beyond.

Ada loved that lookout point and loved how scared its owner was every time he visited it, because it wasn't a normal lookout point; its floor was made of glass, completely transparent, and you could see everything beneath your feet. A good place to start losing vertigo.

Upon arriving there, Ada was the first to run and step onto the glass floor. She seemed to float in the air, or would have if it weren't stained with dirt from tourists, which somewhat spoiled the effect, but it was still a striking sight.

Jonay followed her cautiously and, seeing that it was safe, found it funny and began to hop and run, saying he was flying. "Come on, Gara, it's fun and safe." But Gara wasn't coming any closer. "Come on, love, little one, we don't have all day. It'll be dawn soon, and we have to leave before the twolegs arrive."

He was doing his best to get Gara to cooperate when a scream was heard, and it wasn't a cat... A huge, hungry seagull swooped down toward the cats. It tried to catch Jonay, and both Ada and Gara ran to save him, the wyvern completely forgetting her fear of heights. The three of them managed to scare the seagull away, but a second seagull attacked from behind, grabbed Ada, and took flight.

Jonay tried to stop it, but when it got far enough away from the lookout, the cat couldn't do anything. Instead, he heard a furious roar behind him and felt something fly by at great speed, something red, Gara.

The lizard flapped its wings and jumped, and in a flash, it knocked down the seagull and returned to the lookout, carrying Ada back.

Gara had flown.

It took almost a month for her to fly again, but that was the first time, and it filled Jonay's heart with pride to see how brave and protective she had been.

Word Count: 461 words

[Kazin]

Username: Kazin 3262
Clan: TreeClan

Quest Number: 1
Response: Atlasdash and Stormbranch had reconciled, hadn't they? But what about him? Why did it always feel like he was forgotten, pushed aside, never seen? Even his own littermates pushed him aside, never telling him they were leaving and what they were doing. Azaleawhisker, Snowheart... even his older sibling Blizzardheart. They were all gone without a trace, left with their mother.

And now Hurricanestripe was left with who? Atlasdash, who was so busy trying to find revenge for the rogues that poisoned him that it seemed he forgot he still had a littermate left in the clan. They all used to be so close. They all used to do everything together, and share their thoughts on everything. Now? Hurricanestripe wasn't even sure they had a relationship at all. Atlasdash barely looked at him, barely even said hi, even though their nests were right next to each other.

Stormbranch was no better. The tension may have diminished between Stormbranch and Atlasdash, but now the opposite had happened for Hurricanestripe - the pure anger he felt at Stormbranch for ignoring him, for not trying to reconcile with him, for now choosing Atlasdash over him again and again, always seeming to be chasing after his brother... What about Hurricanestripe? Why was he cast aside? He felt broken, he felt devastated, and he felt so alone, separated from his family by no fault of his own... how could he ever get any of them back? At some point, Hurricanestripe knew he needed to ask someone else's advice.

----

"Lionrumble... can I pick your brain for a minute?" Hurricanestripe had found who he was looking for. His old mentor, who had always been there to support him through training. The other cat took one look at the pure exhaustion on Hurricanestripe's face before nodding, giving his past apprentice his full attention. "I'm... not really sure what to do. But I can't... get Atlasdash or Stormbranch to look at me or talk to me anymore. I know we all lost so much of our family when... so many cats left with Winterdrift... but... I'm still here, and they don't seem to care. What... do I do?" Hurricanestripe found himself finishing his sentence in a defeated manner, not looking Lionrumble in the eyes.

Lionrumble seemed to consider Hurricanestripe's dilemma for a moment, tilting his head slightly. "I think that the emotional toll took place in different ways on different cats. I don't think I can speak for Stormbranch or Atlasdash, but maybe they haven't forgotten at all, and are simply distracted. May I offer a light suggestion of trying to talk to them first, to breach the tension and the gap that you feel? To explain your emotions?"

It wasn't what Hurricanestripe really wanted to hear, but at least it was something. "Thanks," Hurricanestripe muttered, getting up with a heaviness in heart he couldn't explain. But at least he would try.

------

Stormbranch was a hard cat to find. At some point, Hurricanestripe decided to give up with his father - he was closer with Atlasdash anyway, the ache in his heart missing his littermate. He decided the best time was at the end of the day - when all the patrols were done, when Atlasdash had no reason to avoid him any longer.

Hurricanestripe watched his brother come into camp, his features etched into a deep rooted frown, his paws stepping heavily on the grass. He was clearly upset about something, but what, Hurricanestripe would never know, even if he wanted to. He felt himself feel on edge, already frustrated that his brother wouldn't share what was on his mind.

"Atlasdash," Hurricanestripe stepped into rhythm beside Atlasdash, having to trot to keep up. "Can we talk?"

Atlasdash only gave his brother a grunt, barely even giving him a glance. "Whatever, sure," he grunted, after Hurricanestripe continued to stare daggers at him, waiting for an answer.

Hurricanestripe growled loudly, tail starting to lash. "Why do you do this?! Pretend that I don't care and refuse to let me in! We only have each other, and it feels like you don't even care that I'm here! I didn't leave, why are you taking out your anger on me!"

Atlasdash still wouldn't look at him. Hurricanestripe didn't even care that others were staring, disturbed by the yelling. Atlasdash didn't even pause, snatching a mouse from the pile and turning tail back into the forest. So much for a talk.

Hurricanestripe was left in the middle of the camp, his brother gone - so far away even though they still physically lived in the same spot. Their relationship felt forever broken, and there seemed to be nothing Hurricanestripe could do to help it.
Word Count: 776 words

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Username: Kazin 3262
Clan: TreeClan

Quest Number: 3
Response: dearest memory -- for now, wip
Word Count: (If applicable)

[clouds-move-on]

Username: clouds-move-on
Clan: Cats Crossroads

Quest Number: 1
Response:


Erminestar was mentored by Elmstar, and also served as his deputy.
Signs of the coming turmoil could be felt early on, but never really came to a head until Ermine was deputy and he saw his leader change more and more every day- for the worse. The final straw is when Roostercomb- then Roosterpaw, and Ermine's apprentice- fled a violent battle, and Elmstar publicly and loudly berated him for his cowardice, going so far as to threaten to exile the apprentice for disloyalty.