storms make trees take deeper roots
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Post by cosmic on Feb 4, 2024 16:10:39 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/Gq5bzCk~jpg "Yee-ouch!"
Having such a curly coat was a determinant on nights like these. Burrs and thistles were so prone to getting caught in her pelt. It was something that she didn't mind when she was on her own, but when traveling in a group, Curlycloud felt like a burden having to stop and pick it out of her fur. However, before she could even reach back to grab the pesky nuisance, she felt it unraveled from her hair. Looking back, she saw her granddaughter, Squirrelpaw, quickly untangling the burr from her. All the grandmother could do was give a warm purr and smile to her kin, as they were still able to keep up with the MistClan group.
The elder had taken upon herself to be the "escort" of sorts for her dear Squirrelpaw, as their mother had to stay behind to help with the guarding of camp. Ivyleaf was worried sick about her daughter, but Curlycloud only assured her that she would be fine in her care. Poor Possumpaw though, as she had found herself in a fit of trouble recently and was banned from attending this Gathering. Pity, she thought to herself. However, from the rumor mill, it was apparently for back-talking to her superiors. 'Kits don't know how to respect their elders and warriors anymore,' she shook her head as she thought to herself.
The Gathering place was upon them, but her mind was too focused on her granddaughter to really tell if they were the first ones or not. Excitedly, Squrrielpaw asked Curlycloud to go talk with her apprentice friends from the last time that she was here after her apprentice ceremony. The elder nodded, as the fiery calico apprentice bounded off. Squirrelpaw, despite her earlier thoughts, gave the she-cat hope for the future of the clans. Such optimism for her life at a young age, she would make a fine warrior or weaver one day.
With the winter wind circling her frail and chilly body, the elder made her way over toward where the other retired members of the valley would gather. To gossip, is what the other cats of the clans would say. And Curlycloud would laugh and agree with them. It made her feel like a kit again, being able to talk in conspiracies and rumors. Plus, it gave her a chance to tell her honest stories. It felt empty again, however, with Feathercloud not being here. It had been a long three moons since her mate's untimely death. In secret, she would mourn at the ancestor's grove, wishing she had just decided to become an elder sooner to join her partner. However, with the bright stars in the sky above, she knew that Feathercloud was right beside her, probably trying to tame her wild, curly hair as they did as young warriors.
Pawsteps approached, while the calico moved her head to face them and greet who was coming to join the circle with a warm smile. |
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Post by tor on Feb 12, 2024 14:21:06 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/q7QHG4z/ginger~jpg The three clans seemed to descend on the gathering place all at once. A rare occurrence, Gingerfang's long memory told her, watching PrairieClan and MistClan flood the area through narrow eyes. RidgeClan being early, she understood. Mushroomstar was a ball of anxiety wrapped up in brown and white fur, of course he wanted to get here soon. But what had the other clans so anxious? A glimpse of tortoiseshell fur caught her attention. Watching Cindersong lead her clan, Gingerfang suddenly remembered why everyone was so anxious this moon. She was Cinder star now, and every cat at the gathering seemed curious to behold PrairieClan's new leader. Gingerfang didn't get why. Cinderstar was the same cat from the previous moon, now just with more lives. If these gawkers wanted to stare at the new PrairieClan leader in hopes that would give them more gossip about what happened to Littlestar, fine. She wouldn't be one of them. Instead, Gingerfang padded over to where the elders tended to gather. Unsurprisingly, given her stronger bones and decision not to ogle Cinderstar, Gingerfang was one of the first. Only Curlycloud was here so far, her distinct fur pattern identifying her from many tree lengths away. Privately, Gingerfang acknowledged it was strange to see her MistClan friend here without Feathercloud by her side. I'll keep her warm, she promised, not out of any depth of fondness for Feathercloud (she'd been a nice enough cat), but simply out of loyalty for any elder in the forest. "G'evening," she grunted, settling down between Curlycloud and the wind to form a buffer. "S'cold night tonight, yeah? How you doing?"- ooc: i'm assuming feathercloud's passing was mentioned in a previous moon but lemme know if it should be new info/a secret! cosmic |
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Post by shy on Feb 17, 2024 12:23:26 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/71/a4/fe/71a4fe66fd55f6700e68b0eb1780dee6~jpg pumpkinpelt, The old orange tom hadn't quite gotten used to just how much walking clan cats did. The young'uns barely seemed to notice the distance, but Pumpkinpelt struggled to keep up. It wasn't easy, but whenever he got the chance to visit the journey proved worth the effort. The gathering was huge. Filled with more cats in one spot than he'd never dreamed of seeing or meeting. Maybe throughout the full course of his life he'd met as many cats as in one of these clans, but certainly no where near the amount here. The tiredness vanished as he walked around the edges of the group, staring out at the sea of pelts. He knew this was an important gathering, even if the full history of the clans and their fighting was lost on him. Cinderstar would do well, he reckoned. But his eyes were fixed on finding the other cats about his age. He barely knew them and was one of the newest members to the group, but it was always a delight to participate. They were peers after all, even if their lives were far more impressive and fraught. " Evening y'all." He murmured politely as he approached the group, hoping he hadn't disturbed any important conversations. The tom settled down near the two she-cats, taking in a few deep breaths. Would he ever adjust to the walk? Probably not at his age. |
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storms make trees take deeper roots
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Post by cosmic on Mar 17, 2024 18:39:03 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/Gq5bzCk~jpg
(gonna go ahead and reply, but if any elders want to jump in, feel free! and yes, feathercloud's death would have been mentioned previously!)
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All the foreign scents of the clan's began to enter the Gathering. At first, she didn't pay no mind, as the apprentices squealed in the distance and the younger warriors were starting to settle in to speak before the announcements. It was when Curlycloud could feel herself getting a slight chill when a cat approached from the corner of her eyes. Ah, if it wasn't fiery matriarch of RidgeClan herself. It seemed like it had been moons since the last Gathering, so the curly-pelted elder gave a small mew in greeting.
As Gingerfang sat beside her, her scraggly tail gave a quick touch against the bushy she-cat's in appreciation for being a giant buffer against the wind for the MistClanner. It reminded her of Feathercloud doing the same as in moons past. "Hiya, Gingerfang," Curlycloud nodded, with her ears flicking at the various sounds of the Gathering. "I'm doin' just fine, as long as StarClan doesn't try to blow me away this evening. My granddaughter is around here somewhere. She was too excited for her first Gathering. How about you, darling?" The elder gave a small chuckle, as her eyes looked toward the Gathering, seeing another familiar face approaching and greeting the group.
"Good to see you this evening, Pumpkinpelt," the curly-furred she-cat nodded toward the PrairieClan elder. He was new to the group, having been a kittypet for a while before joining the clans. However, she wasn't one to judge the origins of a cat. Makes for a better story to tell down the line. "Now, I'd usually ask the normal pleasantries about prey and kits, but... I see we have a cat missing tonight." Curlycloud's gaze fell upon the leader's circle, with a young tortoiseshell replacing the paranoid alabaster leader. Obviously, she had missed something. "Is that Cindersong with the leader's... or should I say, Cinderstar, perhaps?"
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Post by tor on Apr 6, 2024 20:48:19 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/q7QHG4z/ginger~jpg A low chuckle rumbled out of Gingerfang at the image of Curlycloud being blown away. It was windy, but the forest had seen worst. Really, tonight's wind just brought with it a damn chill that made Gingerfang ache for green-leaf more than she had all season. "Granddaughter, huh?" She glanced around the clearing, easily spotting a pawful of her own grandchildren - Lilyflight, with her pretty coat, and Rowanheart, as brilliant and red as the setting sun. Morninglight - not a grandchild, but a nephew - was here, too, sitting close to Mushroomstar and Toadfeather. She made a curious expression at that, before remembering Morninglight had been akin to an uncle, or even father, to a young Toadfeather. "Remind me of her name again? I got too many of my own. Can't keep track of anyone else's." She had great grandchildren to keep track of, too. Petalshine was around here somewhere, she was sure. "Evening y'all." Gingerfang greeted Pumpkinpelt with a polite sound and a dip of her head. He seemed tired, more so than most cats his age who made the trek out here. Was that the kittypet background failing him? She couldn't fathom why a kittypet would come out here at his age, but she wouldn't fault him for it. Pumpkinpelt seemed a nice enough cat. "I heard it's Cinderstar now, yeah," Gingerfang confirmed, but looked to Pumpkinpelt for more information. Rumors had been flying across the forest for days, too wild for her to keep up with. It wasn't until she saw Cinderstar now, sitting with the other leaders, did Gingerfang realize how true some of those rumors were. "My condolences," she said to Pumpkinpelt, though he probably hadn't known Littlestar well. "I hope Littlestar's passing was a peaceful one. Or, if she's not dead and I just made a fool o' myself, tell me now." |
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Post by shy on Apr 7, 2024 9:35:38 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/71/a4/fe/71a4fe66fd55f6700e68b0eb1780dee6~jpg pumpkinpelt, Pumpkinpelt took a few seconds to settle in as the others chatted. Though their conversation quickly became one he'd need to weigh in on. From what he gathered the passing of leadership was rather rare, or least everyone hoped it would be. And yet here his clan was without Littlestar in the lead. He nodded as Gingerfang confirmed Curlycloud's assumptions about Cinderstar now being in charge. The whole nine lives and new name thing was rather weird. But Cinderstar seemed fine, and as long as she let him stay he had no problem with her leading. Though he would miss Littlestar, she'd let him join. He'd always owe her for that. " Well that's the thing y'all, I'm exactly sure what happened either." The orange tom leaned in, his voice low. " She's gone, that's certain. But we ain't found a body yet. But she ain't returned neither. Now I didn't see it, but I heard there was some signs of a struggle." Was any of this supposed to be secret? He wasn't sure. Didn't it make sense to tell everyone in case some predator or something was sniffing about? " It's a shame, she was a good cat. Didn't deserve whatever got her in the end. And her poor kids. Y'all bury your dead, and they can't even do that. Damn shame." |
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storms make trees take deeper roots
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Post by cosmic on May 3, 2024 11:11:01 GMT -6
#s://i~imgur~com/Gq5bzCk~jpg She felt alive again, felt like her normal self. Losing Feathercloud had been a determent to her sanity and happiness. Her life-long companion, being so close all their life, was not here to enjoy the night tonight with their friends. But, seeing the familiar faces of her friends rejuvenated her youthful spirit and drive.
The first cat she addressed was Gingerfang, asking about the kin that was here. "Squirrelpaw, she's the fluffy calico running around here. Her sibling, Possumpaw, got into some mischief the other night, so she isn't here. Kinda wish I was her, probably staying warm while cleaning the elder's den." Was it really a punishment if she was in better circumstances at camp? "My son, Spiderleap, is somewhere around here, ya'll remember him, yep?" Curlycloud looked along the crowd to see if she could see his unique brown pelt.
But, then, alongside her RidgeClan friend, she turned toward Pumpkinpelt. "Yes, Pumpkinpelt, my condolences." She added as the tom went on. Cinderstar was the leader, but no body? So, she ran off? Or did she fall and drown in the river? The thought of the cold ice on her skin made her shiver in dread. The she-cat felt awful for the family, as her gaze settled on the grouping of council members, with Maplefrost's ginger coat sticking out like a fire in the winter. Curlycloud understood the horrible gut feeling you get when you find out a family member is gone, and the anguish, desperation, and depression afterward. At least she had Possumpaw and Squirrelpaw, her grandchildren, to help her out of it.
"So, what do you think it is? Do you think she just decided to run off, or perhaps murdered?" The frail calico turned her head to the side. "With all the outsider issues, I wouldn't doubt it was one of them. Back in my day, outsiders knew better than to come so close to the borders. They were fearful, and they weren't as brave as some of them are now." |
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