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Post by bee on Aug 11, 2023 20:19:46 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/XSL9CB1/foxglove~jpg It felt good to be on the move again. The barn cats had been kind, their generosity freely given, but the enclosed space of their home had been suffocating. After a lifetime of living under the sky and stars with his family, the ceiling was a stark reminder of the life he no longer had. Now under the open sky again, Kurama’s heart still ached with what was lost, a mess of grief and loneliness and rage. In a desperate attempt to focus anywhere but the past, he broke into a run, the burn of his tired muscles a welcome distraction until he was forced to stop as he came to the river’s edge. A small island in the center of the river quickly drew his attention, the low water lazily stroking along its sides. As Kurama observed the tempting destination, his eyes caught the sight of silver scales in the shallows and his stomach growled. He had not eaten since the parting meal the barn cats had insisted upon him. Hunting would be good, he decided. The crossing was easy, the low water exposing stones that allowed for his paws to stay mostly dry before leaping to the security of the island. As he stepped upon the rocky shore, a new scent reached his nose, causing it to wrinkle. More Clan scents. It was different from the prairie stink, and for a moment, he hesitated. The barn cats had spoken highly of their prairie neighbors, but had not mentioned much of the other clans. The hesitation passed after only a moment, Kurama moving to crouch by the riverside to begin swiping at the minnows. He would just fish some to fill his belly and then move on. Simple and easy. Except Kurama had never been the best fisher. Most of his swipes ended with nothing to show, his paws clumsy and his timing off by milliseconds. His irritation grew quickly while his little pile of successes grew far too slowly. Simple and easy indeed. |
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Post by spotted on Aug 12, 2023 13:31:05 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/3MN9Xn4/sunstormava~png | Sunstorm, Blinding faith, give me sight. Praise the sun, day and night. Break the fog, dark and light. Life and death, black and white. Warmth and cold, wrong and right. Bliss and pain, health and blight. I feel disparity preparing me to die. |
He heard the disturbance before he smelled the intruder. The splashing in the river caught his attention. It was not yet time for the salmon run, but something or someone was making quite the ruckus. His patrol partner heard it too. But the two of them could not see past the hills of the island, so they carefully took the fallen tree across the river and crouched at the crest of the island mounds. Watching. Waiting. The wind blowing the tom's scent to their noses. At first he thought it might be a cocky Prairieclan apprentice. They did have prairie stink as part of their scent. But the more he tried to decipher it, the more it smelled like no clan cat he had ever come across. A rogue then. His golden orbs narrowed as he smelled the scent of fish blood, his eyes locking onto the pathetic pile of minnows next to the foreign tom. Descending to a lower hill closer to the stranger, he called out to him. Sunstorm had had the element of surprise, he could easily pounce on the smaller tom unexpectedly. But Spiderstorm would scold him if he did not at least try "diplomacy" before he rushed to violence - they needed their warriors in top shape - even if his blood began to warm in his veins, thinking back to the night he lost his brother to a similar thief. "Prairieclan may let you take their prey without consequence, but Ridgeclan will not. I advise you to fish on the other side of the river, rogue." With any luck, the tom would listen. Prairieclan cats were not the best fishers, but they did split the river on its western most side. He had in fact occasionally seen a rare Prairieclanner try their luck at it, but those instances were few and far between. Perhaps that is why they let the rogue take their fresh-kill. |
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Post by bee on Aug 12, 2023 22:42:01 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/XSL9CB1/foxglove~jpg This was taking longer than expected. The pile next to him consisted of only three minnows, their scales glinting brightly in the sun. One more, Kurama decided. Enough to take the edge off his hunger for the rest of the day. That, and he was growing tired of staring into the water. The lulls between fishing attempts gave his mind too much time to wander, and he wanted to do anything but think at the moment. His ears twitched as he heard movement behind him and his head started to turn to regard the interrupter as the other’s voice reached him. Kurama blinked, letting the words sink in as he glanced between the three little fish and the Clan cat who thought such a weak harvest was heresy. “What?” He started with a laugh of disbelief, but as he straightened to face the unhidden contempt of the other, his amusement sharply turned to irritation. The barn cats had warned him of these clans, but facing the reality of their words was more absurd than Kurama had expected. “What difference does it make if I fish here or there? The fish come from the same river. They don't make sure to stay within your borders to fill only ridge cat bellies."The more he took in the sight of the other, the more his irritation developed even further into anger. Kurama was reminded far too much of the similar arrogance of the territorial groups that pushed his tribe out, of the haughtiness of the rogue that had ended his life only weeks before. Cats who thought they could own what couldn’t be possessed. His paw shifted to settle over the fish in a moment of possessiveness over his several mouthfuls of minnows, determined to not let this clan cat take what Kurama had earned. At the same time, his mind raced ahead, reminding him of the consequences of the last time he stood up to an egotistical fool. Ah...but what did he have to lose this time? |
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Post by spotted on Aug 16, 2023 7:36:11 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/3MN9Xn4/sunstormava~png | Sunstorm, Blinding faith, give me sight. Praise the sun, day and night. Break the fog, dark and light. Life and death, black and white. Warmth and cold, wrong and right. Bliss and pain, health and blight. I feel disparity preparing me to die. |
His body tensed as the loner did not heed his words. It had been some time since he had met such dogged resistance. Dawnclaw was a main offender, and his sister somewhat less so - but he was quick to reprimand their behavior. Questioning authority had consequences. Ravenpaw had never made that mistake, she was nearly the perfect apprentice. And he did not give her any special treatment because her father was Wolfstar. In fact, he was probably more pressing. When her coat started to follow in Wolfstar's changing pattern, he was glad she was not forced into a life of inaction, spiritual honor or not. She was meant to be a warrior - and Ravenpaw wanted to be a warrior. The best of the best. And Sunstorm was happy to oblige. He had nearly forgotten the feeling of being opposed, and not many of his clanmates did so. Especially those younger than him. But this loner was still relatively young. Probably what Sunstorm would estimate what the age of a fresh warrior might be. Eager to prove himself to the first challenger. "It is a matter of respect." Sunstorm grumbled from his chest. "The relationship between the clans right now is very tenuous. An inexperienced warrior might mistake you for Prairieclan. Do you want to be the cause of a bloody conflict? Orphan kits and rip apart siblings?" Logically, he knew what he was saying was hypocritical. Wolfstar wanted to march on Mistclan territory, and soon. Did he expect them not to fight back? His mother had shared a vision she had that something would go wrong with Prairieclan soon. Was this what she meant? Visions were always difficult to divine exactly. Starclan liked to speak in riddles afterall - to test the intelligence of their chosen. |
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Post by bee on Aug 21, 2023 12:25:08 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/XSL9CB1/foxglove~jpg The more the entitled warrior across from him spoke, the more irritated Kurama felt. The other spoke of bloodshed and war as though that was a reasonable result to someone crossing a silly invented border, whether they were from another Clan or not. His claws unsheathed as he rode the now-familiar waves of anger, his paws digging down and only stopping when he felt the flesh of his fish begin to rip under the strain. It would do no good to disrespect the bodies of his prey as a result of his feelings towards another. Carefully, he removed his paw from the minnows, placing it instead in front of them. A small step forward, nothing as dramatic to be seen as a challenge, but a lack of backing down all the same. "Orphaned kits and ripped apart siblings?" The loner echoed. Such a casual statement, one Kurama knew it was meant to incite shock and fearful respect. Nevertheless, it was said with such an indifference that Kurama could only assume spoke of a culture of violence that these Clans contentedly lived with. He truly was struggling to see the difference between the Clans of the valley and the rogues that had terrorized his tribe, save for some fancy organization and structure. Did they all happily push out those in need, going as far as to even view their own neighbors with loathing? The cats of the barn had extended a paw of aid without asking anything in return. What would have happened if he had been found by these Clans first? "If you are suggesting that my fishing of three minnows could start such devastation, then your laws truly are stupid. Both them and the 'inexperienced' warriors who would rush headfirst into such tragedy." |
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Post by spotted on Aug 22, 2023 17:46:04 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/3MN9Xn4/sunstormava~png | Sunstorm, Blinding faith, give me sight. Praise the sun, day and night. Break the fog, dark and light. Life and death, black and white. Warmth and cold, wrong and right. Bliss and pain, health and blight. I feel disparity preparing me to die. |
Sunstorm's muzzle began to scrunch, and he made little effort to hide the tips of razor sharp teeth. Teeth that ground against themselves in increasing impatience. "If you are suggesting that my fishing of three minnows could start such devastation, then your laws truly are stupid. Both them and the 'inexperienced' warriors who would rush headfirst into such tragedy." Insolent cur.The flame colored tabby watched as the stranger tensed themselves. They felt the conflict then. Good. Sunstorm was dangerously close to engaging. He wouldn't tolerate his clan being insulted, nor his clanmates. But his patrol partner spoke up, sensing the tension between the two toms. "Leave the fish and go back to Prairieclan, Loner. Before you pick a fight you won't win."Sunstorm snapped his focus to his clanmate - his expression almost angry. Angry that they were still trying diplomacy. But he remained rooted for now, his claws unsheathed - waiting for the rogue to say one more word or take one more step out of line. |
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Post by bee on Aug 25, 2023 22:11:24 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/XSL9CB1/foxglove~jpg Oh, the brute was angry. Kurama was almost pleased by the sight. After all, what sort of defense did that give the Clans if, when faced with the hypocrisy and stupidity of their ways, they just met those claims with anger? Despite the smug satisfaction at driving the other to a matching rage, his heart hammered wildly in his chest. A small desperate part of him wanted to preserve his safety, to sheath his claws and back down peacefully to avoid irritating the other further. A young weak part of him, a part that still hadn’t died after everything. The other member of their patrol spoke up, mirroring the first cat’s demands in another attempt at rough diplomacy, though this time, there was the addition to leave his prey behind. Kurama slowly let his eyes shift to the other, though he was reluctant to move his attention away from the angry warrior. It was like looking away from a fox as it aimed its teeth towards his throat. “Sure.” Kurama said lightly. Despite the apparent cooperation, his fur remained bristled and body alert. “I’ll leave."He paused. The tension in the air was palpable. Kurama knew that, if he truly left calmly and without the fish, the pair would most likely not follow him. At least, he was sure they wouldn't if they had even a crumb of integrity. It was the smart move. The safe move. The sort of move he had been encouraged to make all his life. "I'll be bringing my fish with me, though. If you're that desperate to feed your greedy clan, then there's plenty left for you to catch."Kurama never had been very good at doing what was careful. The experience felt surreal, a mirror of the confrontation with rogues just a few moons prior. As he spoke, his eyes moved back to the golden beast, eyes narrowing in apprehension as he carefully began to move to gather his catch closer to him. If the pair didn't respond, he would collect his fish and pick his way back across the river. Perhaps the Clans simply relied on empty threats and flaunted arrogance to get their way. All the while, his heart continued to race.
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Post by spotted on Aug 27, 2023 13:58:23 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/3MN9Xn4/sunstormava~png | Sunstorm, Blinding faith, give me sight. Praise the sun, day and night. Break the fog, dark and light. Life and death, black and white. Warmth and cold, wrong and right. Bliss and pain, health and blight. I feel disparity preparing me to die. |
Blazing golden orbs refused to leave the patchwork tom once his focus was snapped back to the intruder. It seemed - in jest - that the stranger was finally about to leave without making it an incident. But the fool's pride would be his downfall. It wasn't often that Sunstorm was beaten to the draw, but his partner had taken the rogue's inflection as a direct challenge - which, in all fairness, it was. Leaping from the highground, the she-cat landed squarely in front of the mockingly retreating tom as he collected 'his' fish. "I said. Leave. The. Fish." She nipped at the leg the stranger was using to collect his stolen goods, once then twice. Each time the tom deftly evaded her teeth until she finally tried harder and made contact with his flesh. He expected the rogue to run, to be the coward his kind often were, but instead the tom struck back. Sunstorm could no longer stand idly by. A growl rumbled from his broad chest as he used his muscular legs to push himself off of his perch, attempting to land on the other tom's back - his claws ready to pry him away from his patrol partner should Starclan guide this leap successfully. |
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