The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [W]hisperear; [C]rookedlight; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; WC T5; SkC T5; RC T4; RC T4 Number of posts : 2966 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 25
Subject: First Day's Warning [C] Mon 9 Jan 2023 - 13:53
Iceheart
It had been so long since Iceheart had an apprentice of her own that she almost wasn’t sure what to do for their first day of training. They had just returned to ShadowClan territory, so showing Moonpaw around would be most beneficial. However, their food supply was also low due to staying at Highstones until recently, so it was important to restock the fresh kill pile as well. Perhaps they could do some hunting while going through the important areas of the territory…two birds, one claw.
The moon shone high in the sky when Iceheart got up and went to the apprentice’s den. She sat at the mouth of the den and meowed, “Moonpaw. It’s time to train.” When the apprentice was ready, they set out together into the territory.
As they walked, Iceheart explained what they will be doing. “We’ll be visiting important areas in the territory today, so you can know the best places to hunt. We’ll also be hunting and bringing back food for the clan. However, twolegs and their traps are still everywhere, and they tend to keep them hidden. Typically, you would pounce on any prey you scented, but because of the traps, it is important that you make sure you can see the prey in question. The twolegs will sometimes put their kittypet food into the traps, and with the scent of the forest, it can be hard to tell that it is not real prey. And if you see a twoleg, you run immediately away from them. I will find you if we get separated.”
Which…they would not be separated. Iceheart would look after Moonpaw and keep her safe above all else. But should the need arise…Moonpaw needed to know to save her own pelt. Iceheart wouldn’t forgive herself is she caused Leopardsun’s daughter to be captured.
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Mon 9 Jan 2023 - 15:59
Moonpaw had woken early, too excited to sleep anymore as the moon rose in the sky above. When Iceheart came to get her, the tabby apprentice bounced to her paws, padding toward her mentor. "Okay," She mewed, following Iceheart from camp. Wide green eyes took in the territory around them, curiosity and trepidation flowing through her when Iceheart began speaking.
"Kittypet food?" Her nose wrinkled at the very concept. "Why are the twolegs on our territory, anyway?" Shouldn't they have known better? Or they could bother the other clans, not Shadowclan. Still, the warning was kept firmly in mind, the apprentice listening attentively.
"I understand." She added. Of course, her own pelt was the most important pelt to save. And if Leopardsun had entrusted her to Iceheart, Moonpaw was sure that spoke highly of the warrior's ability to protect herself and her apprentice... Not that Moonpaw thought she'd need protecting.
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [W]hisperear; [C]rookedlight; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; WC T5; SkC T5; RC T4; RC T4 Number of posts : 2966 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 25
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Tue 10 Jan 2023 - 18:43
Iceheart
Iceheart began heading towards the pine grove. It would be the easiest place to teach Moonpaw how to hunt, and one of the most important areas in the territory. She replied, “We are not sure why the twolegs have taken to our forest. They would enter on occasion, but never to this degree. They started coming in with their monsters after a large earthquake that shook the forest before you born. Perhaps it has something to do with that…We had to flee our territory for a time because of the earthquake, and so perhaps the twolegs had to as well.”
She was not entirely sold on that hypothesis. She had seen no twoleg nests being made here in the forest, and the twolegs were rarely seen out after dark; which, thankfully, made it a bit easier to hunt without the risk of being spotted. One of the benefits of being a ShadowClan cat, she supposed.
They arrived at the edge of the pine grove and Iceheart drew to a stop. She meowed, “This is the best place to hunt. While it is important to hunt in more areas than just here, if you are ever having trouble, this is the best place to try and find prey for the clan. To begin with, we are going to find some suitable prey and I’ll show you the best way to stalk it.”
True to her word, they began searching amidst the cold snow for a scent to latch onto. It did not take terribly long to find some critters rushing around in the darkness. Iceheart lowered her body and looked to Moonpaw to ensure that she was watching. She then turned forward again and crept closer until she caught sight of the rabbit that was cautiously hopping around. Her favorite. Iceheart’s stomach rumbled, but she withheld herself and cautiously crept forward until she was close enough. Then, she launched at the rabbit, tackling it to the ground and biting own on its neck before it could squeal.
With her new catch in her jaws, she lifted it up and returned to Moonpaw. She set down the catch and looked to her apprentice. “Do you have any questions before you give it a try yourself?”
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Wed 11 Jan 2023 - 11:16
Even Iceheart didn't seem entirely sold on the explanation that she had given, and while Moonpaw was disappointed in not getting a solid answer, there were more important things to focus on. Like hunting. Pale green eyes watched intently as her mentor lowered herself, stalking toward her prey with ease. Moonpaw tried to replicate the movements, staying back and staying quiet, gaze fixed on her mentor's movements.
An awed gasp escaped her as Iceheart turned to her with the rabbit swinging from her jaws. She thought only Windclan could catch those, but of course Shadowclan cats would be able to as well. Because Shadowclan was just as good, if not better, than those filthy rats. "Wow." She breathed, "You were so fast!" She mewed, trying to keep her voice low even as her excitement shone through.
"I'm ready to try myself." She mewed, pausing to scent the air. It was cold, but she still picked up the scent of... vole, maybe. It smelled a bit different than what she saw on the fresh-kill pile, but it was close enough that she thought it was that. Lowering her own body into a crouch, Moonpaw carefully crept forward. Starclan, let me catch this and not make a fool out of myself... The dark-furred creature was soon visible against the snowy backdrop, and Moonpaw leapt forward. In time her form would become more graceful, more like Leopardsun's, but her paw still slammed down on the rodent's tail, her fangs finding the creature's throat. With bright eyes, she turned back toward Iceheart. She'd caught her first prey, just as she'd always known she would!
Moonpaw attempted to catch a rodent for -5 sp. Catch was successful. 55 / 60 sp
Last edited by kjSage on Wed 11 Jan 2023 - 11:19; edited 1 time in total
Mistpelt
Characters : Mistpelt Clan/Rank : RiverClanWarrior Number of posts : 15086 Age : 30
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Wed 11 Jan 2023 - 11:16
The member 'kjSage' has done the following action : Dice roll
'Hunting Dice' : 4
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xaandiir Former Staff
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [W]hisperear; [C]rookedlight; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; WC T5; SkC T5; RC T4; RC T4 Number of posts : 2966 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 25
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Thu 12 Jan 2023 - 10:08
Iceheart
Moonpaw seemed to be very attentive during training, which Iceheart was grateful for. She had heard stories about some apprentices that would not listen, or thought they were better than any other. Honeylight had been nothing like that, and it seemed like Moonpaw would not be either.
Iceheart gave Moonpaw a smile when she turned back with her own prey in jaws. Seems she inherited her mother’s talent, Iceheart thought to herself. Aloud, she meowed, “Wonderful job. You already have a knack for hunting. Let’s bury our catches and we will retrieve them on the way back. There’s still much of the territory to show you.”
As she dug up a hole beneath the snow for them to deposit their catches, Iceheart pondered on what area to go to next. By the time snow covered the prey, she had decided. “I’ll show you the Carrionplace next. It’s an important area in our territory, though it is more of an emergency area than something anyone actively goes to.”
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Thu 12 Jan 2023 - 15:48
Moonpaaw practically glowed at Iceheart's praise, warmth spreading through her fur. She'd clearly impressed her mentor by catching her first piece of prey, and Moonpaw would continue to do so. She would impress them all, prove she was the best. Trotting over, she buried her catch next to Iceheart's, green eyes turning back toward her mentor as she spoke. "I've heard cats say the carrionplace stinks." She mewed. She had little knowledge of the place other than that, but the idea of it stinking made her nose wrinkle. Still, she followed Iceheart closely, too excited and curious about their territory to be disgusted for too long.
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [W]hisperear; [C]rookedlight; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; WC T5; SkC T5; RC T4; RC T4 Number of posts : 2966 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 25
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Wed 18 Jan 2023 - 10:29
Iceheart
That brought a wry smile to Iceheart’s face. “It does stink,” she agreed. “The twolegs dump their scraps there from their nest. And they have a lot of it. Most of it is not edible, but the crows try to eat there anyway. It’s a good source of crowfood and acts as a last resort if ShadowClan’s food supply otherwise runs low.” Her nose wrinkled. Thankfully that had never had to happen so long as she was alive, and she hated the thought of resorting to crowfood. “Rats also live there, though they usually carry disease, and so it is advised to steer clear unless absolutely necessary. Still, it is an important part of our territory, and it would be best you learn the dangers there early.”
The Carrionplace came into view after not too long. The smell was rancid even from several paces away. Iceheart could see one of the large yellow monsters that the twolegs had, milling about behind the silver mesh. “The twolegs take those monsters around a lot too, to move and eat the scraps. They are dangerous like Thunderpath monsters, but not nearly as fast. There are also dogs that live at the Carrionplace…It is one of the most dangerous areas in the forest.”
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Wed 18 Jan 2023 - 10:46
Her nose wrinkled as the carrionplace came into view, but Moonpaw listened to hermentor's words closely, wanting to learn as much as she could about their territory. Why did the twolegs have to dump their scraps here? Didn't they have their own territories to use for that? Moonpaw suspected that she would find no easy answer, and so kept silent while Iceheart spoke.
Rats weren't good for food, it seemed and even from here she could smell what nasty stuff the twolegs had piled in the carrionplace. Disgusting. No wonder nobody liked it. "Seems like it's not that useful to us at all. Do the twolegs at least stay there for the most part? When they aren't filling the forest with their traps, I mean."
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [W]hisperear; [C]rookedlight; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; WC T5; SkC T5; RC T4; RC T4 Number of posts : 2966 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 25
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Sun 22 Jan 2023 - 16:00
Iceheart
Moonpaw’s flippant announcement regarding the Carrionplace’s usefulness pulled a tiny scoff from Iceheart. “You won’t be saying such things when we’re in the middle of a harsh season and every clan but us is starving,” she replied. She turned and flicked her tail for Moonpaw to follow her. “Those twolegs stay there. The ones who have invaded the forest are not the Carrionplace twolegs. I don’t know where they came from, but I do hope that they leave soon. No twolegs had ever stormed the forest since I have been alive."
Honestly, if Iceheart had to choose what conditions to live under, she preferred the anxiety of the twolegs. Nightstar and other cats had already proven that they could return if they were taken by twolegs. If they were still under the Dark Forest as they had been when she was Moonpaw’s age…well. Those cats weren’t coming back.
“I will show you the other dangerous area in the territory,” Iceheart continued. “It is the deep marshes. All year round, it has deep pockets of pools that have claimed the lives of many cats. Many of them will be frozen over thanks to leafbare, but it is important you stick close anyway. The ice may be thin, and it is hard to see the pools when you are not experienced.” The walk there did not take long either, and soon their paws were crunching into the slipperier patches of mud where the snow had not stuck. She paused and pointed a paw at one of the pools. It was easy to miss between the taller grasses and low lighting. Parts of the water surface was frozen over, but it was mostly unfrozen. “There’s one now. They look like small puddles but are deceptively deep. Apprentices could drown in them if they are not careful—so ensure that you never run haphazardly through here.”
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Sun 22 Jan 2023 - 16:41
So the twolegs in the carrionplace were different than the ones invading the forest? How strange, Moonpaw thought. Iceheart was old, so she must've observed the twolegs' coming and going for a long time. If the ones in the carrionplace never left it, then they were less of a threat than the ones who did. "I hope they go back to where they came from." She grumbled of the latter set of twolegs.
Moonpaw followed quiet, making sure to stick close to Iceheart as instructed. "I'll be careful." She promised quietly. The cold mud under their paws was deeply, deeply unappealing to the she-cat, and it took her a moment to notice that it was indeed a pool of water that Iceheart was pointing at. She eyed the partially frozen over pool with distrust, keeping her paws where they were rather than lean forward to investigate, choosing to observe rather than risk herself. Shadowclan, it seemed, had a lot to be wary of within their territory, but that only proved that they were better than the other clans. They alone were strong and clever enough to live here, after all.
"There's paths through here that only Shadowclan knows, aren't there?" If there weren't, she was sure that Shadowclanners wouldn't venture out here for much, not when there were less treacherous-seeming parts of the territory to hunt on.
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [W]hisperear; [C]rookedlight; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; WC T5; SkC T5; RC T4; RC T4 Number of posts : 2966 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 25
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Sat 28 Jan 2023 - 9:55
Iceheart
Good—Moonpaw was already intuitive enough to understand how a place like the deep marshes were safe for them. “There are,” Iceheart affirmed. “Though there are only a couple. The more you grow accustomed to the territory, the easier it will be for you to find your footing without the same usual paths. For now, we will make the trek through the paths every day during training so you can memorize the safe areas.”
She began leading the way, making note of important markers for Moonpaw to make it easier for her to memorize the steps. As they walked, she added, “Occasionally you will find small prey drowned in the pools. Many patrols stop by here to pick up any prey before they turn into crowfood. Should you spot any in the pools, let me know and I’ll show you how to safely retrieve them.”
Subject: Re: First Day's Warning [C] Sat 28 Jan 2023 - 10:18
There were paths, as she'd known, and Moonpaw listened as Iceheart continued. Thankfully her mentor was going to teach her them. Taking the paths every day only made sense. She nodded, understanding. The only way she'd learn the territory was to be in it, of course, and Moonpaw's ambitions would not allow her to accept anything less than being able to traverse the territory with her eyes closed. This was Shedowclan's land, and she was Shadowclan. Of course sshe would have to know the territory like the back of her paw. Moonpaw carefully followed Iceheart through the marshes, taking care with where she placed her paws and being sure to follow her mentor's footsteps closely as she pointed out landmarks and explained about the prey that would sometimes drown in the pools. Crowfood couldn't be good for anyone, so of course they would have to get to prey quickly if they saw anything. The water wasn't good for keeping things fresh, even with the cold, and in greenleaf... Moonpaw shuddered to think of how humid and muddy it would be. She'd heard stories, and they sounded like nightmares.
"There's-" Moonpaw stared at the half-hidden shape in one of the pools, jaws parting slightly as she tried to sniff out what it was. "-a mouse in that pool. How do we go about getting them out of there, then?"
![First Day's Warning [C] Mistpe10](https://i.servimg.com/u/f80/12/50/89/25/mistpe10.gif)
![First Day's Warning [C] Sig2](https://2img.net/h/i105.photobucket.com/albums/m235/Nightshade302/siggys/sig2.gif)
