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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Subject: colors to turn to gold (c) Sun 25 Sep 2022 - 18:24
Leaf-fall had finally finished its touchdown on the forest. Leaves of scattered beech and willow trees that had been green a week ago were now turning to pleasant shades of yellow, orange and brown. The breeze now carried a noticeable chill, and with it, the scent of dry grass from the distant moors. Perchstar, for one, liked the shifting of the seasons. Greenleaf had gone on far too long for her tastes. It was supposed to be a season of warm relaxation for the Clans... but instead, it had brought frustration and suffering at the paws of foxes and other predators roaming the forest. Hopefully, due to the new bite of cold that lingered in the air all morning, such encounters would become far less frequent. There were still plenty of fish in the water, too, and while the birds had begun to vanish to different places, the sparse ground prey that wandered onto RiverClan's territory was fattening up for the approaching cold. It was, honestly, her favorite time of year.
Last leaf-fall... I was just a young warrior, who had gotten my name recently. And now I am the leader of RiverClan. It was a jarring thought. Her, leader? Last time she had seen the leaves turn this hue, she had been reeling similarly over her appointment to warrior, and using her newly acquired freedom to take long, quiet walks admiring the scenery. That used to be the only time she felt peace. She used to feel so uncomfortable around the other warriors, and wish desperately in her most honest moments that there was someone who understood her. And now? A brief smile visited her face at the remembrance of her friends and cherished Clanmates whom she had grown to enjoy spending time with... grown to love. It was a big change for what seemed like such a markedly short period of time. A whole year had come and gone between those moments, and the Perchfall of the past could not be any more different from the Perchstar that now walked at a measured pace under the same multicolored leaves.
But unlike in her memories, she was not alone. Poppyshine had assigned her to patrol with Rowanpaw, who-- if she remembered correctly-- would be eligible to rank up to warrior very soon. Some of his siblings already had. He seemed to have recovered well from the fox attack, thankfully, though she thought she may have sensed a little bit of fear in the halt to his step when he heard a loud noise in the distance. He should be safe with her, of course, but oftentimes emotion beat out logic. When younger, he had been a real pawful, from what she understood. But according to Stormdance, he had been growing in maturity. There was really only one way to find out for herself, though: interacting with Poppyshine's son. "How has your training been?" she asked him simply, her ice-blue eyes briefly meeting those of the young tom.
~~PM me here or on Discord if you want a topic with any of my cats!~~ ~Signature and Avatar by Xaandiir!~
downfive Former Staff
Characters : [R]owansong [Ro]okflight [S]ilverhawk [P]igeonpouce [F]ishpaw [Fa]lconpaw [Fo]xsnap Clan/Rank : [R] RiverClan T5 Elder [Ro] RiverClan T4 Warrior [S] ShadowClan T5 Warrior [P] RiverClan Hybrid Medicine Cat [F] ShadowClan Apprentice [Fa] WindClan Apprentice [Fo] SkyClan T2 Warrior Number of posts : 2887 Gender : any or username Age : 22
Subject: Re: colors to turn to gold (c) Sun 25 Sep 2022 - 21:35
Rowanpaw
This, this was exciting. It certainly trumped sitting hunched over the bedraggled Twistpool for most of the day. While Rowanpaw had moaned about being pulled from his nest so early, he shook off his grogginess readily enough it registered it was Perchstar who had come to fetch him. It brought him instantly to his paws, hopping eagerly on the leader's heels. It made him feel special, in a way, to be the only other cat accompanying her. A solo patrol with their leader-- how grand! But it made a part of him feel equally and uncomfortable, and brought his attention trailing to the now-scarred wound on his leg more than once. He had no reason to fear Perchstar, and he did not, but he couldn't help but to think about what Stormdance had said. I have not spoken to Perchstar about what happened in-depth. Rowanpaw shook his head. He had no intention of giving Perchstar or his mentor a reason to put the pieces together and drag him into more trouble than that conniving hound had been. Despite his intentions, he couldn't help but feel an uncharacteristic nervousness at the thought of it.
But there was no time for dwelling. Not when there was prey that could be caught, and borders to be expected, and leaves that Rowanpaw could throw himself into nose-first. Not many of them had fallen yet, which was fine enough; their changing colors were so odd and so pretty to him, he was content to just stare at the boughs as they padded along. Those that had drifted to the forest floor weren't safe from his pouncing, though, as he scurried off periodically to dive into a thin pile. Once, he'd met with a mouse between the foliage, and could only curse quietly when it darted off squeaking. Grumbling, he'd ranged back towards Perchstar-- stalled briefly by the sound of a branch cracking and his blood running cold --but he recovered quick enough he could only hope she wouldn't notice. Falling in step at her shoulder, Rowanpaw let his tail sweep idly back and forth, head bobbling while he looked around. He could have forgotten she was there and pretended he was patrolling on his own if she hadn't spoken.
"Training?" Rowanpaw hummed, turning to find her blue eyes already focused on him. It was a brief look, but the depth to her gaze made him hesitate again. She doesn't know. Stop it! Stormdance did not tell, and you will not tell, and you will be fine. Shaking his pelt out, the apprentice skipped a little ways ahead, turning to flash Perchstar a comically wide and toothy grin. "Would you ask a fish how well it swims? A goose how well it flies, perhaps?" The words were an easy purr, filled with easy humor and not at all touched by a note of nervous chatter. "My training is going- heh -swimmingly, Perchstar. I have gotten quite good at fighting, necessarily, and decided I can stomach hunting, though I find it none too interesting. Stormdance has been kind, if fretful. I have similarly decided I can stomach him." Hopefully that news would not be passed along to his mentor. He did not need the stout tom trying to coax him into playing nice or acting affectionate to any degree, though he wouldn't run away now, at the least. Hopping off closer towards the babbling sound of the river, and without turning to face his current ward, Rowanpaw idly went on, "Would that I could extend you the same nicety, though I suppose you do not have much training these days. Too old for that, no? But I'm sure you have some interesting stories about being leader. Or perhaps some special leaderly training to provide."
Subject: Re: colors to turn to gold (c) Sun 2 Oct 2022 - 17:59
There was a strange, momentary hesitation to Rowanpaw's movements before he shook himself out of it. Perchstar blinked curiously, but let the matter be. He was probably just nervous, since she was the leader. They had never spent much time one-on-one before. That was understandable. His confidence returned almost immediately, however, and she felt her whiskers twitch in amusement. The fox attack hadn't shaken him all that much, had it? "Glad to hear it," she responded evenly. "I hope that if you ever end up in another situation facing a predator, you will be able to defend yourself. Though our best strength lies in numbers, it doesn't hurt to have every cat trained as well as possible." Stormdance had expressed an affection for his apprentice, and Perchstar noticed wryly that the young tom seemed to reciprocate that, however reluctantly. It was nice to see that they were getting along. As always, Poppyshine's mentor choices were impeccable.
Rowanpaw's attempts to redirect the question to her caused the leader to blink slightly. Special leader training? She had never really thought of such a thing. Being a leader didn't make her special. She was simply a warrior of RiverClan who had been blessed with extra lives to be a figurehead for her Clan. It wasn't as if she gained some extra heavenly wisdom or fighting prowess. Not that she had noticed, anyway. It was easy to think of leaders as mythical beings... but really, no matter what some of the most prideful of them had thought, leaders were just warriors with nine lives. The authority given them by the stars and their Clanmates was the only thing "special" about them. She tried to think of how to convey this thought to Rowanpaw, but thought better of it. He likely wouldn't understand. "I don't believe that I have any 'special' training to offer, no," she responded instead. "Stormdance has likely taught you everything that a RiverClan warrior will need to know. As far as stories... I'm afraid my life has not really been one for the elders' tales. Very few glorious battles or stunning leadership decisions. Mostly mistakes and sorrows, though I have remarkably come out on top in most situations... eventually." Not that Twistpool would ever tell flattering tales about me, anyway. Her eyes slid to the apprentice beside her, considering. "In the same vein, I could ask you if you have any special apprentice stories. It is a very adventuresome time of life, after all."
~~PM me here or on Discord if you want a topic with any of my cats!~~ ~Signature and Avatar by Xaandiir!~
downfive Former Staff
Characters : [R]owansong [Ro]okflight [S]ilverhawk [P]igeonpouce [F]ishpaw [Fa]lconpaw [Fo]xsnap Clan/Rank : [R] RiverClan T5 Elder [Ro] RiverClan T4 Warrior [S] ShadowClan T5 Warrior [P] RiverClan Hybrid Medicine Cat [F] ShadowClan Apprentice [Fa] WindClan Apprentice [Fo] SkyClan T2 Warrior Number of posts : 2887 Gender : any or username Age : 22
Subject: Re: colors to turn to gold (c) Sun 9 Oct 2022 - 20:14
Rowanpaw
Rowanpaw’s ears flitted down a tad and he turned to regard Perchstar with a dramatically withered look when she kindly told him there was no special knowledge she had to offer as leader. Was being leader really such a miserable affair that she had nothing to offer him? When the stars came down to grant her their favor, did they not bestow any knowledge beyond what the rest of RiverClan knew? And mistakes, sorrows? Surely there had been some benefit to being made leader. She made it seem like a harrowing burden to carry. There was nothing fun about it, that was for sure. Stormdance could teach him plenty, sure. He’d taught him that, if nothing else. It was still a little disappointing that Perchstar had little to offer that a regular warrior didn’t. She was still cool, though, he guessed. Maybe being leader was just cool and fun in its own right.
But she was turning the question on him. He blinked, looking stunned, and skittered hurriedly over to stand right at her shoulder. ”While I may have learned to– ech, l-i-k-e him, I would not say Stormdance is a particularly exciting mentor. The most exciting thing he has taught me is how to fight foxes.” He could handle this fine. Big, fancy word-weaving was his speciality. He’d dazzled Irispaw with the legend without incriminating himself or Stormdance; he could passably do the same with Perchstar. But then again… Rowanpaw glanced up at her. She was probably smarter than Irispaw, not that Irispaw wasn’t. Or maybe talking to Perchstar was just scarier, because his friend couldn’t get him in trouble.
”It was a wonderful battle, Perchstar. I am sure you’re sore you couldn’t have been there to see my magnificence in action.” He winked as he spoke, and a pleased rumble edged his words. Rowanpaw lowered his voice as he spoke next, picking up a more serious cadence for his fable. ”He had taken me out hunting. Now, as I might have mentioned, I am none too fond of hunting. I find it quite slow, and boring, even if fruitful. But it is a necessary pursuit, and a necessary talent for all good warriors, and– as I am certain you’re starting to notice –I am going to be RiverClan’s best warrior. Not only that, but Stormdance is quite persistent, and refuses to allow me to shirk my duties or the chance to learn more. So, hunt I must.
“It was quiet, out in the territory. We had come across no land-prey, not even the smallest vole to be seen. There was a stillness to the wood, then… eerie, creeping. It carried with it the somber feeling that comes with twilight. Perhaps that should have been our first warning. We stopped to talk, we got loud, and we were the only prey around.” There, a little growl rose out of his throat, his voice darkening. ”A lone branch snapped. The air was suddenly filled with a stench, acrid and strong and unfamiliar to me. More warnings, though whether they would have gone heeded or not is not something I can say. There was mere heartbeats between these markers of threat and the appearance of Red Death, hungry and driven to kill.” He stalled a little, as he thought back on it. It… it scared him. Even when the fox was only a memory, not a true threat, it made him feel fall and afraid. Rowanpaw shook himself out quite heartily before he continued on.
”It was on me in an instant. There was no time to flee, or to prepare. Teeth bigger than my own legs found themselves in my neck, and I’d been hauled from the earth, lifted and shaken like I was little more than an unruly squirrel. I was thrown– I flew! Sailing tree-lengths away, sure that when I would land, I would take my final breath. But I didn’t– I closed my eyes, and prepared for the world to remain ever dark as I collided with the dirt and grass; but when I opened my eyes, Stormdance was there. He had taken the great beast by the tail, dragging it away from me, and… and standing between it and I.” That part of the situation evoked some affection in him. If Stormdance hadn’t chosen to protect him, Rowanpaw was sure he would have fled in order to protect himself. He was grateful things had not come to that.
”The rest is naught by a blur. The horrible smell of blood, the horrible sounds of screaming and pain on either side. Stormdance begged me not to fight, however I have never been quite good at listening. It took him by the leg, the same way it had done with my neck–” he winced in preparation for this part, ”and snap. And then it threw him. I was certain he was done for, that I would be left to face the Red Death on my own, and neither of us would return. He rose again, though. He is persistent, as I have said. Even gravely injured, he stood to fight. To defend.” Rowanpaw lapsed into quiet, looking down at his paws and scuffing them through the earth. ”I do not remember the rest. I remember Stormdance carrying me home, though that is mostly all. Not quite the ending I would like to give such a heroic tale.” He forced out a laugh, and lifted his chin, head held high and twisted at an odd angle to look awkwardly into the cloudy sky.
”Stormdance is… a good warrior. He certainly knows how to fight, and how to care for his apprentices. I will give him that credit. He has said that I am good, too; that I am a natural born fighter, brimming with talent, and that I did well in holding my own against the fox.” Rowanpaw’s voice lilted back into the smooth, boastful key he usually spoke in, the ceremonial affect of his story faded. ”Well, how’s that for an adventuresome apprentice story? Were you to ask me, I’d say it’s quite enrapturing.” And quite the well-spun lie.
Subject: Re: colors to turn to gold (c) Wed 12 Oct 2022 - 20:46
Perchstar walked alongside Rowanpaw slowly, listening with a mix of interest and trepidation to his enthused story. He certainly seemed to enjoy telling it, as much as his hackles may have raised at any sudden sound in the forest. I'm glad it hasn't affected him too negatively... he's lucky that his leg wasn't broken. Still, as she heard the dramatic words echoing through the forest, something itched at the back of her mind. Something... sounded off. Her scarred ear flicked, an unconscious sign of how hard she was thinking. It took until Rowanpaw's tale was finished that she was able to put her paw on exactly what was bothering her. "Yes, it is a good story, and you told it well," she agreed, her tone entirely devoid of the suspicion that she felt. "I find myself glad as ever that you and Stormdance were able to escape with minimal harm. However, I think there may be a slight problem with your tale. I do not recall assigning you and Stormdance to a hunting patrol that afternoon. In fact, I was under the impression that you had been on a border patrol that morning, but that the afternoon was to be filled by your regular apprentice duties." No frown touched her features, though perhaps that would be found more unsettling. Why was she pursuing this line of questioning? Why not simply agree with the story and move on? Still... she wondered. Rowanpaw did not seem like the type of tom to let important details for such an interesting story escape him. Had he simply been mistaken? Or was something else afoot... the explanation for Stormdance's own tendencies to change the subject?
~~PM me here or on Discord if you want a topic with any of my cats!~~ ~Signature and Avatar by Xaandiir!~
downfive Former Staff
Characters : [R]owansong [Ro]okflight [S]ilverhawk [P]igeonpouce [F]ishpaw [Fa]lconpaw [Fo]xsnap Clan/Rank : [R] RiverClan T5 Elder [Ro] RiverClan T4 Warrior [S] ShadowClan T5 Warrior [P] RiverClan Hybrid Medicine Cat [F] ShadowClan Apprentice [Fa] WindClan Apprentice [Fo] SkyClan T2 Warrior Number of posts : 2887 Gender : any or username Age : 22
Subject: Re: colors to turn to gold (c) Wed 16 Nov 2022 - 17:55
Rowanpaw
For a good moment, Rowanpaw reveled in his story, and in Perchstar's mild expression as she listened to him. He was nearly beaming, his regular smile stretching wide. However, as he reached the conclusion and let the tale breathe, the she-cat's voice rose. At first, it was congratulatory, and warmth prickled under his pelt at the mild praise. However, her words quickly turned, and what warmth had come over him was quickly dashed away by an icy chill. He wouldn't be stalled, though. If he could weasel his way out of trouble with Poppyshine and Stormdance-- even though one was softer to him as his mother, and the only time he'd been in real trouble with Stormdance a fox had come to his aid --he could find a way to manage with Perchstar. "Yes, well, you see-- oh, Perchstar, this is so utterly embarassing, I can't believe you must make me admit this!" A painfully exaggerated sigh wheezed out of him, and Rowanpaw turned his ears as low as they would, making himself look properly pitiful. "Best apprentice in RiverClan that I might be, I... well, I am not too good at hunting. I may have said as much, but I've taken no particular interest in it, and so my prowess has suffered for it. I struggle to make myself learn if I cannot drum up any excitement for the subject." He shrugged mildly, and pitiful look turned winsome as Rowanpaw angled his smile upwards to the leader, turned on at full force. "Stormdance opted to take me on a hunting patrol to sharpen my skills there. He is perceptive that way."
