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Post by tor on Apr 12, 2024 13:33:29 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/s2gdqjC/sanguine~jpg The lake glistened under the weak, winter sun that barely climbed to its noon position overhead. Sun-high, he heard a cat call it once, back in his traveling colony. Cats here called it that, too, but Sanguine first heard the word noon from his mother, and it was one of the few things of her he was able to cling to. Another thing was her love of water - bizarre among many cats he knew, save for those gifted with slick, thick fur that water rolled off of in sheets. His own fur was like that, but he hated being cold. A swim in the winter, even the end of winter, would be hell for him, and a death sentence for a frailer cat. Instead, he enjoyed the water from a slight distance, his tail tucked neatly around his paws as he gazed out onto its rippling surface. Somewhere in the territory, his friends were hunting, promising to be back before the sun began to set. Sanguine had thought to go with them. And then he thought to go visit the MistClan border again. Both things, inexplicably, made him feel guilt, and so he had gone to the lake instead. It was peaceful here. He was still learning what that word meant, exactly. Before, peaceful would've meant his father was happy and calm, not on the edge of lashing out at someone - usually Sanguine himself. Now, it was coming to mean he had a moment alone to his thoughts. A moment to enjoy the sun. A moment to chat with someone new, maybe even make a friend. He knew every cat in the Kingdom handled him with suspicion (could he blame them? Most of them knew each other from the clans already) and yet he enjoyed making friends of them nonetheless. Littlehawk included. He could smell the tom as he approached the lake's edge. It didn't seem to be a stealthy approach, given that there was little coverage this close to the water. Was he coming to say hi? "Is a good morning for sunbathing, no?" Sanguine asked in greeting, gesturing toward the many flat rocks around him, all drenched in sunlight. Maybe Littlehawk was just coming because it was the best place to rest. "I am hogging all of the rocks. I will be sharing, of course, if you share your company in turn." |
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Post by shy on Apr 15, 2024 17:25:23 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/14/86/41/148641561547ccbc1908d62a5a29230d~jpg littlehawk, When the Kingdom split off, Littlehawk expected it to be exciting. Everything would be new and dangerous and even if it got him killed at least he would die having tried something new. And yet despite that, there were days that were downright boring. Patrolling was patrolling, no matter where it was. Hunting was hunting and even hawk hunting was boring until something dangerous showed up. At least the new cats were interesting, sometimes. When all else failed to keep him entertained, they tended to fill the role of entertainment for at least a little bit. As Littlehawk wandered around, the scent of one of the most interesting new cats caught his attention. Sanguine. Half the fun of talking to him was trying to understand what the tom was evening saying. His accent and choice of words made it a challenge at times. But Littlehawk liked a challenge. He approached the scent, finding the tom sunbathing himself on some rocks at the lakeside. The other cat invited him to sun on the rocks. " Eh, there are worst things to do." Littlehawk moved towards a nearby flat stone, yawning as he finished settling in. " But there are also better things to do. Already done with your chores for today? Or is it too bright right now for you nightwalkers to bother doing work? " Littlehawk spoke, his words half jest and half jab. He didn't really get the whole three different camps thing, it just felt like they were the clans if the clans kept their claws out of each other's pelts for five minutes. |
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Post by tor on Apr 20, 2024 16:33:50 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/s2gdqjC/sanguine~jpg Delighted, Sanguine watched as Littlehawk joined him amongst the stones, thoughts already filling with a million questions for the other tom. He was from RidgeClan, yes? Perhaps Littlehawk would tell him all the things Cherry did not. Sanguine so desperately wanted to know more about the hurt that caused the clans to fracture like they did, and so far, no one was willing to tell him. "Already done with your chores for today?"Chores! Sanguine cracked a grin. There weren't many chores for the Nightwalkers, especially not in the middle of the day, when most cats were resting. "Ah, you are mistaken. But it is okay to be wrong when you are so handsome," he said, splaying himself out to take more advantage of the sun crashing down on his dark coat. "Nightwalkers like the dark, but the dark is not always at night! Our cave is the dark." He smiled, hoping Littlehawk already understood what the camp looked like. He wasn't sure he had the right words to explain it. "I am not doing work because I am lazy, not because it is too bright."And because he had done his share of hunting in the early morning, bringing back a surprising amount of prey, given the cold season. Perhaps it was because of the clans below that the mountains were so abundant. All the prey animals ran from the places clans made their home, especially in the winter. "And the sun is so warm. My fur is not like yours. I am always cold." He sighed, briefly imagining the luxury of being surrounded by a coat like Littlehawk's. "And are your chores being done? I won't tell anyone if this is untrue." He winked. "I am liking the company. The rocks tell me nothing interesting - though the lake is having many secrets." |
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Post by shy on Apr 24, 2024 18:01:24 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/14/86/41/148641561547ccbc1908d62a5a29230d~jpg littlehawk, " Ah, you are mistaken. But it is okay to be wrong when you are so handsome." Ah there it was, entertainment. Sanguine was interesting, flirty and strong and clever. And lazy, apparently. Littlehawk let out a chuckle at the tom's words. " You're not half bad yourself." Mild flirting was a far as Littlehawk was willing to go, his old mate still tugged at his heart. Besides, while Sanguine was fun, he wasn't exactly someone trustworthy, few cats were. " Tsk tsk tsk," Littlehawk feigned disapproval for a few seconds. " What would Cherry think of this? Luckily for you what Cherry doesn't know won't hurt her." He'd never been one to tattle, not when there were so many better uses of his time. Littlehawk stretched out further, enjoying the twin warmth of the rocks and the sun. " Eh, everyone gets cold. Though if you're ever in need of something to warm up your nest I could probably get you some feathers." It was an easy offer to make to Sanguine, who he doubted knew the connotations such actions had carried back in Ridgeclan. " And are your chores being done? I won't tell anyone if this is untrue." Littlehawk scoffed. There were always more chores to do. " Nothing needs doing right now, that's as good as done as it ever gets." " Do you consider fish a secret? I'm pretty sure that's all that's floating around in that water. Fish and some leaves. Maybe a few dead bugs." Maybe it was just something lost in translation, but he couldn't resist the chance to poke fun at the tom. |
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Post by tor on Apr 27, 2024 19:21:09 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/s2gdqjC/sanguine~jpg Ah, how easy Littlehawk was to like. Maybe liking any cat who sunbathed and conversed with him made Sanguine easy, but what more did he really need? Company and comfort were things he rarely knew in his old life. Now, they seemed like something he could have in abundance. He wasn't going to forsake that by giving his new friends a hard time. "Luckily for you what Cherry doesn't know won't hurt her."
"My favorite," he said, smile so wide he felt his jaw my snap. "Is what you're quickly becoming." Sorry, Caius. That was alright. Caius seemed to be developing a new favorite, too, if all his patrols with Quail meant anything. "Yes. Please be getting me these feathers? The cave is so cold, you are understanding." Maybe too cold, at least this season. What a strange choice to pick a cave for a home. He supposed Cherry's need for safety outweighed any chill. Plus she, like Littlehawk, sported one of those RidgeClan pelts. Thick. Perfect against the cold. "And then we could share the nest-feathers," he added with a purr. "Extra warm."
There was closeness between the Kingdom factions, but honestly, Sanguine didn't yet know if they were supposed to be that close. Could cats move freely between groups? That would be interesting. "Nothing needs doing right now, that's as good as done as it ever gets." "Good. Then we can both be sitting and light bathing. Day bathing? No, sunbathing." He got there in the end. "Fish are a secret, yes. Have you seen their eyes? There are secrets in those depths." Plus, anything that could swim underwater without breathing had to be some kind of secret. Sanguine preferred to think about that than complex anatomy that designed a creature to swim. "But the lake is having more than creatures for secrets. For instance, the lake is knowing why you all are splitting from the clans to make this Kingdom." His wide smile softened to something sweeter. "And the lake is not telling me. Maybe you could be telling me?" |
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Post by shy on May 4, 2024 19:09:17 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/14/86/41/148641561547ccbc1908d62a5a29230d~jpg littlehawk, " My favorite, is what you're quickly becoming." What did that even mean? His favorite Kingdom cat? His favorite lounging about and blowing off work buddy? Half of what this cat said seemed like nonsense and the other half definitely was. Littlehawk scoffed at the thought. " I'll bring you the feathers, but I don't share my nest with just anyone." At least not anymore. " Besides you're in a different camp. Cuddle up with Cherry or something if you get too cold, though I bet she'd claw your ears off for it." That was a funny thought. And the rest of Sanguine's words were funny as well. He didn't bother to confirm Sanguine was correct about it being sunbathing, not after hearing him say that fish had secrets. " Oh I've seen plenty of fish eyes. They don't have secrets, I don't even think they have the thoughts to think of secrets. Have you seen one pulled on shore? Just flopping about with those blank eyes? Eugh." He shivered in disgust. The riverwalkers could keep all the fish they wanted as far as he was concerned. And then Sanguine changed to talking about the Kingdom and the clans. Littlehawk rolled on his back so he didn't have to face the strange tom's sweet smile. If anyone here held secrets it was Sanguine, that much he was sure. After a bit of silence he spoke. " War. Death. Zealotry. Maybe that's too strange a word for you. Bad shit happened. The clans are like an infected wound. Too far gone to save. Gotta cut them off if we wanna survive." |
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Post by tor on May 7, 2024 14:15:41 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/s2gdqjC/sanguine~jpg "Oh, no, I cannot be nest-sharing with Cherry. She will kill me." Simple as that. He and the Nightwalker leader were on very fragile terms, only soothed by each successful hunt, and the few times Sanguine had convinced her to crack a smile. They definitely couldn't share a nest, not that he hadn't thought of it. She was a very handsome she-cat. He humored the conversation about fish for as long as Littlehawk dwelled on their eyes, then sat patiently as the other tom fell silent, contemplating his words like so many other former clan cats did when Sanguine asked. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he needed a friend in the other clans - preferably RidgeClan - to tell him when he didn't know. All of these Kingdom cats would be so biased. "War. Death. Zealotry." Oh, such heavy concepts. "Maybe that's too strange a word for you.""It's a big word for me, that's true!" But he knew what it meant. Perhaps he wasn't born into it, but Sanguine was born of it. His bones knew what Littlehawk spoke of. His blood was brewed in it. Calypso ran in his veins, bringing with him war, death, and zealotry in ways Sanguine doubted Littlehawk could comprehend, so limited was his worldview here in the forest. "Bad shit happened. The clans are like an infected wound. Too far gone to save. Gotta cut them off if we wanna survive.""Oh, this is stupid." Sanguine laughed. "You are all so angry and so vague. It makes you sound like babies." Mockingly, he dropped his voice in the best impression of a stout RidgeClan warrior that he could. "'Bad things happened, so bad we cannot tell anyone. We will all just be festering in our trauma and speaking ill of our family members.' This is what you are sounding like." He snorted, then cleared his throat to speak normally. "If you are the ones festering, then I am thinking you are the infected wound, dear." |
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Post by shy on May 10, 2024 19:56:31 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/14/86/41/148641561547ccbc1908d62a5a29230d~jpg littlehawk, Sanguine's laugh rung in Littlehawk's ears. He'd spoken about the horror of war and the need to move on, and this stranger laughed? How many had died, his own kin included, only to be nothing more than a joke to this tom. Some part of his brain picked up on the tom's note about it ' being so bad we cannot tell anyone' and wondered if truly no one had told him what had happened. But most of him was pissed. " Shut it!" Littlehawk spat. " How dare you? You're only here lounging about because we left! Who are you to judge us? You weren't even here, you don't know anything." The thought of being the problem brought up the memory of only a few nights ago, having his claws sunk into Ravenheart's neck, the decision to not kill her having been a difficult one. He'd let her live, wasn't that evidence enough that they weren't the true issue? She'd lunged first. So what if he'd wanted her dead and only half spared her because she'd brought up a semi true point about his name having been given to him by Wolfstar. " If you're going to be a dick about it don't talk about the war like that. You'll get your ears clawed off if you're not careful." Littlehawk growled his warning, ready to move onto a new conversation. They were supposed to be relaxing. Before waiting for a response he brought up a new topic. " I'm going to change my name. It'll be Osprey something I believe. There's your gossip and secrets if you want it." He'd keep his encounter with Ravenheart between him and her. Was it haunting her, knowing how close death had been? He hoped so. |
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Post by tor on May 12, 2024 10:28:55 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/s2gdqjC/sanguine~jpg Ah. So predictable. That's a shame - I was hoping he'd be more interesting than this. Sanguine let Littlehawk have his outburst with an unamused look, tail swaying in a motion just shy of a lash to let the other tom know that he wasn't amused. Yes, yes, he understood fully well that whatever trauma happened to this ex-RidgeClan cats was difficult to talk about. Like with Cherry, he wasn't going to press, now that he'd found a sensitive spot. Still, he just wished someone would tell him what happened. It would be easier to be sympathetic with these runaways if he knew what drove them off from their home. "You're only here lounging about because we left!"
"Au contraire, I am thinking I would be here even if the Kingdom was not. It's a good place to call home, even for a short time." His journey with Caius and Quail led him straight through these mountains, after all. If they had encountered the clans before Cherry, and the Kingdom didn't exist, it was very likely they would've settled right by the lake until the warmer seasons, as the clans made for an interesting - and potentially dangerous - roadblock. "You'll get your ears clawed off if you're not careful."
"Good luck reaching," he said with a smile. They were sitting now, but he towered over Littlehawk when they were on all four paws. "Look, I am sorry to be pressing on a sore wound. You see, I am just trying to understand." He shook his head. "This is okay. I will asking another cat until someone is less angry with their past." There was bound to be someone. Maybe he needed to look away from former RidgeClan warriors? There were some MistClan warriors. "A name change! Wonderful, very exciting." And good of Littlehawk for picking a new topic. "This is a good thing where I come from. Is it a good thing here? Why Osprey? Could you be Ospreyhawk, or is that being too many birds for a name?" |
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Post by shy on May 26, 2024 17:05:14 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/14/86/41/148641561547ccbc1908d62a5a29230d~jpg littlehawk, Littlehawk huffed and rolled his eyes as Sanguine suggested that he would still be here even if not for the Kingdom. Given that their conversation had started with the strange tom confirming he was blowing off his duties, he wondered how well Sanguine actually did on his own. From what he knew the cat had a few others in tow when he joined. " Good luck reaching." " Ha, did you forget I was trained to fight hawks? I'm more than used to fighting those who are larger than me." Truth be told that applied to much of the world around him and thus most fights he'd ever gotten into had been against larger foes. Thankfully Sanguine dropped the subject of the clans and the war, though he had no doubt that someone else would soon be on the receiving end of those insensitive questions. But at least it wouldn't be him. He'd much rather talk about anything else, though even this subject change was rooted in Ridgeclan. " The first bird of prey I ever fought was an osprey, it seems fitting to take its name." How proud he'd been, proving his size wouldn't stop him from being a guardian. While he might've left the title behind, he didn't have to leave everything he'd done with it behind as well. " Ospreyhawk is, in fact, far too many birds for a name." He decided not to mention the true reasoning of the name hawk being an honor in Ridgeclan. It would invite more of those pesky questions. " I was thinking something like Ospreytalon or Ospreystrike. Something strong that isn't another bird." |
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Post by tor on May 31, 2024 8:19:24 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/s2gdqjC/sanguine~jpg Sanguine tried to picture it — a cat Littlehawk's size taking on an osprey, or even larger birds. He was only vaguely aware that the clans had traditions around hunting birds of prey. It was a RidgeClan thing, wasn't it? Admittedly, he was impressed that RidgeClan had the knowledge to train all their warriors to do such things, even the smallest ones. Sanguine had only ever hunted down a bird of prey once. It was on the journey to these very mountains, after the damn bird tried to swoop down on Caius. Tougher than any fight. "It is very attractive, to be strong enough to be hunting the osprey," he said appreciatively, viewing Littlehawk in a new light. Not one flattering enough to dismiss the annoyance he felt at Littlehawk refusing to answer his questions, but at least enough to think the tom was handsome again. "I am liking your reasoning. You honor yourself by taking the name osprey. Handsome bird for a handsome tom."He wondered if they hunted eagles here. Or even vultures? Scavengers seemed easier to hunt than raptors, because of how often they were on the ground. But vultures were huge, and their beaks seemed life-threatening. How thrilling. "I am liking Ospreytalon. What is it you say? It's rolling off the tongue?" He nodded, satisified with the expression. "I am wondering, what name would I have, if I were a clan cat like you?" And then, with a grin, he added, "Former clan cat. Sorry!" |
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Post by shy on Jun 29, 2024 16:33:42 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/14/86/41/148641561547ccbc1908d62a5a29230d~jpg littlehawk, Sanguine's flattery made Littlehawk chuckle to himself, puffing out his chest a little. He'd spent seasons honing his skills, killing those who hunted him, for the thrill of the hunt rather than praise. But who didn't like a little praise every now and then. " It is a fitting name." He agreed, glad his change in conversation had gone so well. Maybe Sanguine was trying to flatter him for his own gain, but Littlehawk didn't care. And then Sanguine continued, his newest question sparking a little annoyance. Tch. Had the tom's words truly been absent flattery so he could wheel the conversation around back to the clans. He rolled his eyes at being called a clan cat, with Sanguine's apology hardly helping to ease his annoyance. " Clan names are simple. The first part is what you look like as a kit. The second is based on skill, if you have any, or appearance or personality. For you... you're gray and fall. Maybe smoke or shadow would be your first." Littlehawk explained with same amount of enthusiasm as if he were talking about the weather. His tone was flat, clipped. Ugh. Clans. Why were they so fascinating to outsiders? " Maybe you'd be Smokefur or Graypelt or something." A basic name, almost insultingly so to anyone who knew how names were given. Sanguine probably was skilled enough to earn a more interesting suffix. But right now the last thing Littlehawk wanted was to flatter the other tom. |
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Post by tor on Jun 30, 2024 15:55:57 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/s2gdqjC/sanguine~jpg It was clear from Littlehawk's tone that he didn't care much for the subject of clan names. Well, Sanguine didn't care for Littlehawk's annoyance. He'd met plenty of clan cats over his moons of travel, but none of them held a conversation long enough to explain their names. As Littlehawk explained it — a prefix, a suffix, each with meaning, how clever — Sanguine nodded along. The clan cats he met previously, as well as other groups that organized in similar ways, all seemed to have names that matched this very pattern. "For you... you're gray and tall. Maybe smoke or shadow would be your first."Unable to help himself, he shivered at the thought of being named after the shadows. A clan name wasn't in his future, but if it was, he would accept anything a leader gave him except that. "Maybe you'd be Smokefur or Graypelt or something."Smokefur. He did like how that sounded. Curiously, Sanguine repeated the name a few times, as if testing it out in his own voice. "A nice sounding name, but not mine." He chuckled. "Perhaps this is being because I am brown, not gray. Your eyes are needing checking." Though, he would admit he was a very smokey brown. Easily mistaken for gray in some lighting. "A brown name would be like oak? Oakfur? Ah, Honeythorn's name is making sense. Golden like honey, but not so sweet. Thorny." He chuckled again, humored by his own joke. "So many interesting names. Where I am coming from, cats are called mean things. Like Tick. This is what they are calling me for so long. They called Caius Worm. Are you believing this? So cruel." |
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