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Post by tor on Oct 27, 2023 13:54:11 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/rc8xfgw/cinder~jpg It was still early when Cindersong set out on patrol with Turtlewhisker, the sky frail and gray as the sun hesitated just below the horizon. She'd been up for hours already busying herself with whatever task she could find. Speaking to Minkfrost had brought her some comfort, letting her tuck her head into her nest and sleep for longer than she had in days, but still Mousestep's words ran through her mind, punctuated by flashes of Greypaw's limp body. Cindersong was not a fan of mere words. She needed action. Turtlewhisker would have an idea. And though their relationship had not improved to the point where Cindersong could simply walk up to her sister and talk, she could make her patrol with her. It was the perfect opportunity for a conversation: an early patrol through the northern hills where there was no border to mark, at least not until they came closer to MistClan's territory. They walked in silence at first, but once camp was far behind them and Cindersong was confident they wouldn't be heard, she spoke. "I had a conversation with Mousestep the other day." Conversation was the kindest of words. It was an argument, one made all the more aggravating by Mousestep's immaturity, and her brazenness in wielded Greypaw's name. "About the tunnels." A flick of the tail, just the gentlest expression of her disgust. "She was adamant that the tunnels should remain part of our culture." Though her pelt pricked with irritation at the other things Mousestep said, Cindersong wasn't sure Turtlewhisker needed her emotional response right now. This was about protecting future cats from the tunnels, not about Cindersong's grief. "Sometimes, I worry we're too insular," she continued. "If we've surrounded ourselves with too many other cats who've suffered loss because of the tunnels, and that makes us feel like we're accomplishing something." It only made sense. It was easy to grieve alongside others who lost loved ones, and those were the same cats most likely to agree with them. "I try to be respectful of other opinions, especially as deputy, but I am tired of seeming impartial." This time her tail flicked in annoyance. "I want to take action, but I fear we stand in the minority, still." |
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Post by robin on Nov 12, 2023 15:04:19 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/XSZtWPV/Turtlewhisker-posting-pic~jpg Turtlewhisker When Cindersong had requested her presence on patrol that morning, Turtlewhisker had thought about arguing. She'd not long risen from her nest and the camp was relatively well sheltered from the chill leafbare breeze. It was not appealing, the thought of traipsing through the ice and snow and what was the point when the other clans likely thought it equally so. Instead of the usual combativeness that she usually reserved especially for her big sister, Turtlewhisker had stretched out her slender limbs and followed her out of camp with little more than a mumble about how they were going to freeze their tails off. There had to be a particularly good reason that Cindersong had requested her specifically, the sisters weren't as close as other littermates were. Turtlewhisker didn't altogether enjoy her sisters company very often, but that wasn't to say that she didn't trust her. If she wished to speak to her alone, then there was likely a good reason for it. She was shaking the snow from a paw when Cindersong broke the silence that had been accompanying them since they'd stepped out of camp. The fur on Turtlewhisker's shoulders bristled, having nothing to do with the cold and she watched her sister out of the corner of her eye. "I bet that was delightful" her tone was dry, her tail flicking with barely suppressed annoyance. That she-cat should've been named Mouse brain, it was more fitting, at least Turtlewhisker thought so. "She wouldn't feel that way if she was buried alive..." it was cats like Mousestep that made this difficult, the ones so hung up on the idea of tradition that they were reluctant to elicit change, no matter the lives it might save. "Change takes time" she looked at Cindersong then, unsure of what she could do to offer some semblance of reassurance. Sometimes this battle seemed hopeless, as though they'd already lost when they'd barely begun. "This culture is all they've ever known, most of them don't know what life would look like without the tunnels" she shot a knowing glance towards Cindersong, remembering what she had once been like as a tunneler. Back then, Turtlewhisker had barely seen her and it had allowed the wedge between them to solidify. Turtlewhisker's tail lashed "the time for being impartial has passed" the role of deputy was a heavy one to shoulder, but she knew that it meant advocating for your clan and every single cat within it, from the tiniest kit to the frailest elder. "Cats are dying, have been dying for moons, and I'm tired of watching history repeat itself" she knew that she wasn't the only one with the same beliefs, and it was just a matter of making the rest of the clan see that preserving a tradition was not as important as preserving the lives of their clanmates. "I'll follow your lead, but things need to change..." |
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Post by tor on Nov 14, 2023 22:00:50 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/rc8xfgw/cinder~jpg Cindersong listened to her sister, ears tilted toward Turtlewhisker's every word, while looking out into the distance. Here, there were no tunnel entrances visible, nor any signal that they were nearby. But she could feel them under her paws. She knew how hollow they made the ground; how fragile the rolling hills were, carved into like claw marks. The tunnels she once held so closely to her heart were nothing more but wounds in the earth now. Out here, with no sight of the tunnels, she could pretend, for a moment, that everything was whole. "This culture is all they've ever known," Turtlewhisker said, pulling Cindersong's expression into a frown. "Most of them don't know what life would look like without the tunnels." Her sister wasn't wrong, but it wasn't just the younger cats that were like that. No one in PrairieClan knew what life could be like without the tunnels, even those who had separated themselves from the practice. Was that what they needed to have their message land? Reassurance from someone that life could move on without the tunnels? Cindersong doubted word like that from MistClan or RidgeClan would be enough to soothe the anxious voices in their clan that wanted to cling to the tradition. "I'll follow your lead, but things need to change..."
"I agree with you." She sighed. It felt like the same conversation they'd had before, not just between the two of them, but amongst everyone who agreed. They had to do something before the tunnels claimed another life. But what? "I can talk to Littlestar." It was something she was hesitant to do, knowing the importance of impartiality in a deputy. At some point, though, that impartiality became a moral failing - no longer would she be trying to balance opinions, she would actively be contributing to harm. "I will talk to Littlestar. More concretely this time." Though, Littlestar didn't seem herself lately. She was distracted, like her head was elsewhere. Cindersong wasn't sure how good talking would be. "But I want action from leadership to be met with support from the warriors. I think it's time to reach out to those who haven't expressed an opinion and get them to see things our way. Do you have any suggestions? Besides speaking to everyone one by one." She tilted her head in thought. "I could always stop the current apprentices from continuing their training. It's easier in leaf-bare - the threat of cave-ins can be higher when the ground is fragile with frost." |
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Post by robin on Nov 19, 2023 17:05:23 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/XSZtWPV/Turtlewhisker-posting-pic~jpg Turtlewhisker Turtlewhisker had never known life in the tunnels, having hated the few times she'd been forced beneath the earth during her apprenticeship. She'd rejected any attempt they'd made to recruit her back then, and still held fast in the belief that cats did not belong beneath the ground. The meadows were so beautiful, even in leaf-bare, and Turtlewhisker couldn't imagine trading the feeling of the wind in her fur as she raced over the hills, for the suffocating claustrophia of those tunnels. A shiver passed up her spine that had nothing to do with the cold and she shook out her mottled pelt to disguise it. "What does Littlestar think?" she asked her sister when she mentioned her intention of speaking with their leader. It didn't matter what they did, if they didn't have the leader on side, then their efforts would be fruitless. "Surely, she sees our side of things?" it didn't seem outlandish at all, to want change within Prairieclan, to embrace a tradition that did not claim lives each season. She was satisfied that Cindersong had every intention of speaking with Littlestar, but that meant nothing if the leader brushed off their concerns. There were more cats speaking up about the dangers the tunnels posed, but Cindersong was right, they were still the minority. "I think halting the apprentices tunneler training is a good first step, though they won't thank you for it" she mewed. The apprentices were enthusiastic, and eager to serve their clan but they were also Prairieclan's future. The tradition of sending the youngsters into such dangerous tunnels had never sat right with the she-cat.. "Snailpaw says she wants to be a tunneler, insists she'd be great at it" she almost smiled remembering her apprentice's enthusiasm. It was just a shame that it was so misplaced, she had the potential to be a grand warrior, a future Turtlewhisker remained convinced she wouldn't have if she signed her life over to the tunnels. "I've been trying to distract her by showing her what the meadows have to offer, not the easiest task in the middle of leaf-bare" It was difficult to enact change when tunnelers taught their kits that it was a noble heritage, to serve their clan within that deathly maze beneath their territory. Turtlewhisker didn't believe there was anything noble about sending your kits towards a fate like that, void of light and the companionship of their clan, where a cave in could easily snuff out their life before they had a chance to realize what was happening. "We need to be strategic about it, we don't want to bite off more than we can chew before we're ready" the abolishment of tunnelling within Prairieclan wasn't a popular proposal and she could see the potential for tempers to flare if they moved too quickly. |
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Post by tor on Nov 22, 2023 6:28:24 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/rc8xfgw/cinder~jpg "Littlestar thinks..." Cindersong stumbled over what to say, thinking back to the first and only conversation she tried to have with her leader about the tunnels. It hadn't gone the way she wanted it to. Cindersong felt confident in her opinions - it was Littlestar she held less confidence in. The leader hadn't been herself lately, strangely absent and paranoid, and that departure from self was evident when they spoke. "I'm not sure what she thinks. She said she needed more time to form an opinion, but I couldn't get an understanding of where her biases might be." Cindersong hoped, with Littlestar not being born into PrairieClan, she might have less of an inclination toward the tunnels. Like she was missing some key piece of education from her youth that made so many PrairieClan warriors love the tunnels without question. "I promised her time," Cindersong added. "But she's had enough time. Even if it's only to tell me to back down, I need to hear some action from her." Otherwise, Littlestar would be exhibiting that same moral neutrality Cindersong was. PrairieClan needed strong leadership, and right now, Cindersong wasn't sure Littlestar and she were providing that. "I think halting the apprentices tunneler training is a good first step, though they won't thank you for it."
"You're right, they won't thank me for it." The tunnels were interesting, as well as a mark of being an older apprentice. It was a rite of passage to start your tunneler training. She would be taking that away from PrairieClan's apprentices, but what else could she do? Leaf-bare, and the earliest moon of new-leaf, were dangerous times in the tunnels, almost as dangerous as the flooding moon in green-leaf. "Snailpaw says she wants to be a tunneler, insists she'd be great at it."Fear struck Cindersong. She refused to let her sister lose her apprentice, like she had lost Graypaw. Her resolve to close the tunnels to apprentices, at least for a few moons, cemented within her. "I'm sure Snailpaw would be good at anything she set her mind to," Cindersong said. "You're right, we need to be strategic. And I think you bring up exactly what we need: something else. We can't just take away the tunnels. We have to offer something in return." Something special. Unique to PrairieClan. But what? "We have the herbalist. What if... we turn our focus there?"
That would surely benefit PrairieClan in the long run, wouldn't it? If more cats had knowledge of herbs, they would have more support for the sick and injured. As well, they could better tend to the meadow, instead of leaving it to fall on Lionflower alone. "I will speak to Lionflower, as well, and see what he thinks about training more apprentices in herbalism. Maybe, with new-leaf coming, he could use the assistance in preparing the meadow to be bountiful." She didn't know. Cindersong couldn't remember ever getting training with the herbalist - it was always the tunnels. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said, eyes fixed to the meadow around them suddenly. "The meadow. Why do we spend so much time underneath it, when all this beauty is here, waiting for us? It's been here all along."
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Post by robin on Dec 20, 2023 15:27:40 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/XSZtWPV/Turtlewhisker~jpg Turtlewhisker Turtlewhisker's tail twitched, betraying her annoyance at their leaders absence. The molly failed to understand how she could ask for time, of all things - to form an opinion? Time could only cost more lives, every day cats ventured into those tunnels and it was only a matter of time before there was another cave in. "What is she waiting for?" she hissed. This wasn't a difficult decision, at least not from where she was standing. The lives of their clanmates was worth more than the feelings of a few cats who were stuck in their ways. The tunnelers would get over it if the tunnels were shut down, but the loss of a clanmate was something that you couldn't just move on from. Death was irreversible. Maybe Littlestar had forgotten that since Starclan had awarded her nine lives, but for her clanmates there were no do overs. Turtlewhisker knew that there would be backlash if the tunnels were closed to apprentices, but she'd rather they be angry than dead. She could only do so much to keep Snailpaw away from the tunnels, as long as that was still an option open to her, the young apprentice would continue to badger her about it. "The herbalist..." that thought hadn't crossed her mind, it seemed so obvious now. "It might work, apprentices like to feel like they're doing something important" and what was more important than ensuring the health of their meadows, so that they had enough herbs to treat their sick and injured. Yes. It was a far safer trade than tunneling, surely no one had ever died from tending to a few plants. Smiling, she nodded when Cindersong spoke of how beautiful the meadow was. She had always appreciated it, and never knew why her sister had spent so much time beneath the ground. She was glad that Cindersong now had the chance to see their home for what it really was.. "It's the most beautiful place in all the territories" she purred. "I never understood the tunnels, not even as an apprentice.. I didn't like how everything smelled the same, or how dark it was" her ears lay flat against her head "I was scared, but you... You seemed so comfortable down there" she watched her sister, wondering what it must feel like to stand against something that was once such a huge part of her life. |
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Post by tor on Dec 24, 2023 10:34:23 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/rc8xfgw/cinder~jpg Cindersong purred when Turtlewhisker seconded her thoughts about the herbalist. Her sister was right. Apprentices like to feel important, like they're contributing to the clan in ways outside of their training. That need for importance was what drove her to the tunnels in the first place - well, maybe it was pressure from warriors that did that, but it was the value placed in the tunnels that kept Cindersong there. If the clan could shift the narrative, could get apprentices to value the meadows just as much, then herbalism would be the future for PrairieClan. She could see it now: a generation of young PrairieClan kits, raised in the light of the sun, surrounded by the vibrant petals of blooming wildflowers. Could they do it? She thought of Dappledfern. Their sister wanted a littler soon. Would those kits know the joy of tending to herbs, rather than the darkness of the tunnels? Turtlewhisker was still speaking. The way she described the tunnels made some small part of Cindersong flinch, ready to the defend the places she spent so much of her youth. But, with practiced calm, she pushed down the instinct. She wasn't that cat anymore, and Turtlewhisker was right. "It's easy to seem comfortable when the world tells you it's where you belong," she admitted with a sigh. "You forge such a strong connection in the tunnels. With your fellow tunnelers, but also with tradition. I felt so proud to be part of PrairieClan when I worked underground." It was something no other clan - or group of cat she was aware of - ever did. Unique. Important. No wonder cats bonded so strongly with the dark. "We have to create that same encouragement with the meadows," she continued. "There's no better time than late new-leaf, when the blooms are in full swing. We'll have to start planning now." Cindersong would talk to Littlestar, and then Lionflower, and maybe both at once. Maplefrost, too, could be brought in. Connecting the herbalist practice with the medicine cat seemed so logical, she struggled to believe it hadn't be done before. Meanwhile, Turtlewhisker could speak with other warriors. "I'm... sorry if I ever frightened you with how much time I spent down there. I regret it. I wish I could take it back."Maybe it wouldn't have taken them this long to get along, if she had. |
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