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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Bloodstar had not been going easy when it came to Aether's training, and it left the former rogue absolutely exhausted. He just had to get a break today, unable to bring himself to do any more work, and so he had taken a walk outside of camp to make sure no cat stopped him for assignments. He just needed a rest. And some time to think. So much had happened, and he realized now that he hadn't even had time to process it all. It all sort of just stored itself away in his mind, eating away at him.
His paws led him to the river, although thankfully this time he stayed on land. It was odd. The first time he came to this spot, he nearly drowned. And now it was becoming a comfort spot. Despite himself, Aether found himself wondering if his father ever came here to find peace of mind, when it seemed like every cat was against him. And would Lionboar like this spot?
There was a sense of security in being here alone. The sound of the rushing rapids drowning out the world around him. He felt at ease. Enough so that he was able to let himself cry. He let out all the frustration from Bloodstar's abuse, the grief of losing his childhood, and the agony of having lost Lionboar, all released through the tears he shed. He felt so helpless through it all. No matter how much he had fought, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't make his father a better cat. He couldn't make Lionboar stay. He couldn't do anything!
After all his work climbing out, Aether realized he never actually left the shadows.
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp; [R]ashoumon; [B]lazekit Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; RC T5; RC T5; Rogue T1; WC App Number of posts : 3131 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sat 21 May 2022 - 0:16
Poppyshine
Poppyshine had gone off on a border patrol. She went on her own, wanting to get away just for a little bit and clear her head. There was always so much to do now that she was deputy, but she was not about to ignore her own advice that she’d given to Perchstar a thousand times when she was still deputy; she needed to take breaks. A border patrol was not exactly a break, but it was time away from the stresses of camp, so Poppyshine kind of counted it.
She caught the scent of SkyClan—there was something else too, but the SkyClan scent was powerful. It didn’t take long for her to find the source when she spotted the familiar, peculiar coat of a cat across the river. Poppyshine smiled when she recognized Aether, but the smile quickly faded when she realized that he was crying. She wondered for a moment if she should shrink away before he noticed her, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave a cat in distress.
“Aether?” she called from across the river. “Are you okay?”
Characters : [L]Lilyvalley, [E]Elmstorm, [A]Addercrest, [T]Thistlepaw Clan/Rank : [L]ShadowClan T4 Warrior, [E]RiverClan T1 Warrior, [A]ThunderClan T1 Warrior, [T]WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 2440 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 22
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sat 21 May 2022 - 8:50
Aether started as his name, his real name, was called, alerting him to the presence of another cat. Looking up, he saw the face of Poppypaw, and relaxed a little. She had been kind in the past, and by the way she was speaking, she still would be.
"Yeah, I'm alright. I just........ a lot has happened. Apologies for this sight, I can assure you the great Aether is as strong as ever! No obstacle shall stand in my way!"
The little voice in his head of course called him out. They were all lies. Everything was a lie. He wasn't ok. He wasn't strong. He was falling apart.
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp; [R]ashoumon; [B]lazekit Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; RC T5; RC T5; Rogue T1; WC App Number of posts : 3131 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sat 21 May 2022 - 9:34
Poppyshine
Poppyshine offered Aether a gentle smile as she sat down. “I got my warrior name, so it’s actually Poppyshine now,” she mewed. She wanted to tell him that she also obtained the deputy role, but her first concern was making sure that he really was okay. Her news could wait. Instead, she asked, “Are you sure you’re alright…? I’m sure you’re very strong, Aether, but everyone has bad time once in a while.” She tilted her head as she looked at him. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Characters : [L]Lilyvalley, [E]Elmstorm, [A]Addercrest, [T]Thistlepaw Clan/Rank : [L]ShadowClan T4 Warrior, [E]RiverClan T1 Warrior, [A]ThunderClan T1 Warrior, [T]WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 2440 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 22
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sat 21 May 2022 - 9:51
Poppyshine. Aether actually liked the name. It suited her.
"Well if we are sharing new names, Bloodstar says to be a part of SkyClan, I have to follow their traditions. So apparently I am Crimsonpaw now, but you can still call me Aether. I like that name much better than Crimsonpaw. Bloodstar doesn't even like me, he only accepted me because someone pressured him into it. Actually a few cats did."
He smiled, thinking of the cats that had stood by him. Poppyshine asked if he wanted to say what was on his mind, and he shook his head.
"If I told you, you would probably hate me. I'm....not the cat you think I am, Poppyshine."
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp; [R]ashoumon; [B]lazekit Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; RC T5; RC T5; Rogue T1; WC App Number of posts : 3131 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sat 21 May 2022 - 9:57
Poppyshine
Crimsonpaw…Poppyshine could see how it would fit him, but she knew why he didn’t like it. He’d said as much about clan names when they last met. Him joining SkyClan was a bit of a surprise, though—she thought that he lived on his own near SkyClan, not that he joined them. His words also concerned her and she frowned a bit.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Poppyshine promised. “But I don’t hate many cats, Aether. I can’t imagine what you would have done to make me hate you. If you really don’t want to tell me, I’ll leave it alone—but if you want someone to lean on, I’m here.”
Characters : [L]Lilyvalley, [E]Elmstorm, [A]Addercrest, [T]Thistlepaw Clan/Rank : [L]ShadowClan T4 Warrior, [E]RiverClan T1 Warrior, [A]ThunderClan T1 Warrior, [T]WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 2440 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 22
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sat 21 May 2022 - 10:19
She didn't hate many cats, huh? Aether felt like he would be proving her wrong. But if she wanted to know, he would tell her.
"When SkyClan was being oppressed, I was also staying in their camp. My dad..... Was their oppressor. Morningstar, Klaus, Dawnhawk, whatever you wanna call him. And I was too much of a coward to do anything until my friend died."
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp; [R]ashoumon; [B]lazekit Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; RC T5; RC T5; Rogue T1; WC App Number of posts : 3131 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sat 21 May 2022 - 10:31
Poppyshine
Aether’s answer caught Poppyshine off guard. Aether didn’t have the golden pelt that Morningstar did, and so she didn’t realize they could be related. Even now, she didn’t see the resemblance, but maybe that was because Aether didn’t have the same cruel glint in his eyes as Morningstar did the one time that Poppyshine saw him. Perhaps it was that she didn’t want to see any resemblance.
Getting over her initial surprise, Poppyshine mewed, “None of the clans stood up to Morningstar or any of the other Dark Forest cats. It wasn’t until cats gave their lives and StarClan returned that we had the courage to finally fight back. Doing otherwise would only result in death. So of course you wouldn’t have had the bravery to stand up to him sooner.”
She lifted her chin. “And if you think that I would hate you because of who your father is, that’s incorrect too. Morningstar was a cruel cat, but I judge you based on your own actions. The previous leader of RiverClan was cruel and cold to a lot of cats, but I’m best friends with his son; who your lineage is does not determine what you are like.”
Characters : [L]Lilyvalley, [E]Elmstorm, [A]Addercrest, [T]Thistlepaw Clan/Rank : [L]ShadowClan T4 Warrior, [E]RiverClan T1 Warrior, [A]ThunderClan T1 Warrior, [T]WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 2440 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 22
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sat 21 May 2022 - 13:44
"You barely know me, how can you be so confident in me?"
Aether himself wasn't sure he was all that good a cat. When he fought ShadowClan, he was fully prepared to kill every one of them. He never batted an eye when his parents skinned cats alive. He had wanted to join in. Would Poppyshine be so accepting if she really knew him?
Characters : [P]oppyshine; [Pi]neblossom; [L]arkspring; [Wi]llowwisp; [R]ashoumon; [B]lazekit Clan/Rank : RC T5 Deputy; SC T5; RC T5; RC T5; Rogue T1; WC App Number of posts : 3131 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sun 22 May 2022 - 10:18
Poppyshine
Poppyshine gave an uncertain flicking of her ears. “I judge cats based on what I know of them. I’ve not known you to be a copy of your father. Until you have wronged me or my clan, I will not dislike you.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “You get to forge your own path, be it as Aether or Crimsonpaw—but you do not have to be defined as Morningstar’s son.”
Characters : [L]Lilyvalley, [E]Elmstorm, [A]Addercrest, [T]Thistlepaw Clan/Rank : [L]ShadowClan T4 Warrior, [E]RiverClan T1 Warrior, [A]ThunderClan T1 Warrior, [T]WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 2440 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 22
Subject: Re: Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Sun 22 May 2022 - 17:00
Aether couldn't help but chuckle at Poppyshine's words, thinking of other cats who he had met. Oh, if only every cat could see things the way she had.
"You know something? You remind me a lot of my sister, Aoife. She had that kind heart too, but she would do anything for her family. She was the one who looked after all of us, made sure we were safe. She never actually got into any fights, except for one time. I think that was the one time a lot of us really fought. When ShadowClan killed my brother."
He looked up at Poppyshine now, a bit of the anger from that day returning.
"I am not the good cat you think I am, Poppyshine. I wish I could be the cat you see in me, but I'm not. I was ready to kill that foxheart. The way he talked about killing Apollo, about how he would kill the rest of my family, if he had not run away I would have ended him right there. I still would if I got the chance. I can't be as kind as you, Poppyshine. You said you don't hate many cats, but I can't have that restraint. And I hate myself so much for it. I hate that I am exactly like my father. I can't get out of his shadow! Believe me, I am trying! I want to be better for Lionboar, and to prove every one of these foxhearts wrong, but I.....I just can't!"
Anything else Aether might have said was cut off by the sobs escaping him. The thing was, he really liked Poppyshine. Maybe that was why he was trying so hard to get her to run. To get her to forget about him, to hate him, even. He lost everything he cared about. Maybe some part of him was afraid of losing her, too.
Poppyshine let Aether speak without interruption, and when his words cut off with sobs, she let him cry for a bit longer too. She took the time to reflect on his words genuinely. She could not blame Aether for wanting to kill the cat that killed his brother. As much as Poppyshine wished that their clans could exist together without murder and hatred, she was no longer a kit with no ideas of the world. She’d experienced hatred firsthand. She understood how it could poison someone’s mind and make their cruelty bubble up. She also understood that she could not expect another cat to forgive those that harmed them.
“Morningstar, from what I know about him, did not care that he was cruel. He was happy to harm those around them. He ordered the death of cats at the Gathering several moons ago simply to prove a point. There never would have been a time where he even attempted to be anything other than the monster he was. That is how you are different from your father.” Poppyshine’s voice was steady and gentle and comforting. She slid down to lay on the shore of the river, still watching him. “I don’t think you’re a bad cat for desiring revenge, nor do I think I can simply talk you into no longer wanting it. I despise violence, but I will still fight for the cats that I love.”
Aether, despite himself, couldn't help but smile at Poppyshine's words. His eyes wandered over to the rock in which they had first met, the day that she-cat had saved his life. She seemed to have a knack for saving him at this point, even from his own mind. And he laughed at the thought.
"Why is it that everytime we meet, you are helping me in some way. You really are just an amazing cat, aren't you? There's gotta be something I can do for you, right? Come on, give me something! Anything! Want me to jump in the river and save you?"
There might be one problem with that though.....
"Um...... do you want to teach me how to swim so I can save you from the river?"
Poppyshine’s cheeks felt warm at Aether’s compliments. She didn’t think shew as quite that amazing—she only tried to be a good cat to everyone around her. It was all she wanted from everyone else, so it was the least she could ask.
The mention of the river threw her off balance and she glanced nervously at the water between them. “I don’t…swim well, actually,” she admitted, rather embarrassed about the fact. “I nearly drowned as an apprentice, and I haven’t really tried since. The only other time I fully went into the water with a friend, I nearly shut down on him. So—please don’t jump in.” She laughed a bit nervously and watched him carefully like she was afraid he was going to anyway.
![Guiding Paws, Loving Hearts [c] Ea9Ylnv](https://i.imgur.com/Ea9Ylnv.png)
