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: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Mon 20 Feb 2023 - 17:21
Birdstar
The roar and rush of Fourtrees was slowly fading. Whether they had just walked deep enough into the woods for it not to echo so far, or the assault on their dogs and cages had forced the twolegs to flee, mutts and kits in tow. Whatever the reason, when Birdstar turned her ears back, she could not hear so much chaos anymore. She did hear, though, the voices of her Clanmates- those that chose to speak, at least.
Looking briefly over her shoulder, Birdstar swept her gaze across those following behind her. The group was smaller– markedly smaller than the one that had followed after Perchstar, she'd noticed –but the number of absentees had not lessened her frustrated grief while they were gone. Now though, now... none of that mattered. They were here. Kicking through the forest, shadows cast across them from branches overhead, staining the slush they trudged through with blood... Alive. Well. Home. Birdstar's attention lingered particularly long on the faces of Beechfang, Plumleaf, and Crookedpaw. A tired smile settled on her maw, and though she was limping, Birdstar's steps were a bit steadier when she turned to pad onward.
It was not long after that that they reached the edges of SkyClan's camp. She was almost surprised, to see how well the defensive wall was turning out– then realized that the cats with her, with the exception of her mother, would not know of it. Turning to address the group, Birdstar mewed, "Looks safe, doesn't it? Watch your step, I don't want Wolfblossom thinking we've been attacked." She laughed stiffly, then paused, looking down at her shuffling paws. "I've missed you all. Welcome home."
With that, the large molly pushed through the safe entrance to camp. The sudden and mundane realization of camp's beauty, familiar and peaceful in the setting sun, was disrupted only by the spots of blood across the earth, stray scraps of red fur, the faint but lingering stench of fox. Her ears lowered, a grimace briefly making her nose wrinkle, but Birdstar was quick to settle herself and call out, "SkyClan, we're back! We recovered our missing Clanmates!" Their appearance hadn't gone unnoticed, but she waited for the warriors left in the waning light to approach them more properly. As cats were hurrying to see them again, Birdstar turned to address two of them before the proper reunions would start. "Beechfang, Plumleaf... I'm glad you're both safe. I almost thought... well, that's not important. I'm just grateful you two are here." She hesitated, looking past them at the other Clanmates that had been wounded in the fighting, feeling the pulse in her own wounds, seeing the remains of a fight around camp... but they could spare a moment before rushing Plumleaf back to work. Nothing had been grievous– she hoped not, at least. At a loss for words, Birdstar simply bent her head to them fondly, and turned to face those that had stayed in camp.
Characters : Stormdance (S) Rainfrost (R) Sunpool (Su) Wrensong (W) Hawkmist (H) Clan/Rank : Riverclan, Tier 5 Warrior (S) Skyclan, Tier 3 Warrior (R) Riverclan, Tier 2 Warrior (Su) Riverclan, Apprentice (W) Shadowclan, Tier 2 Warrior (H) Number of posts : 1051 Gender : Transmasc, he/they Age : 23
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Mon 20 Feb 2023 - 18:00
Rainpaw
Skyclan Camp
With the foxes gone, Rainpaw had been occupying himself with helping clean up camp and offering a paw to assist in treating the injured. It was easy enough to occupy himself with tasks to keep his mind off of his nervousness and impatience for Birdstar’s patrol to return. The fact that foxes had invaded camp had him even more on edge, worried about his mother. The adrenaline still pumping through him leftover from his first actual battle was not helping matters.
It’s as he’s trotting across camp to another task that he noticed someone entering camp. He was instantly perking up at the sight of Birdstar, ears straightening on his head. And then he noticed the black and white form behind her. His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment time stopped.
Rainpaw’s eyes went wide. Birdstar’s announcement hardly registered before he was moving closer to get a better look. Rainpaw broke out into the biggest smile he’d ever worn, his entire body trembling from head to toe. “Crookedpaw!” He cried with delight, bolting past his clanmates until he reached the taller apprentice.
He rammed himself into Crookedpaw’s side, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground and landing on top of him. The purrs that erupted from his chest almost hurt from how intense they were, and his eyes felt damp as he pressed his face against Crookedpaw’s, laughing happily. “You’re home! You’re home!”
For once, he didn’t care what anyone else thought of him right then. He’d never experienced such relief and joy. His focus was entirely on his best friend, and he could not contain his joy. “I missed you so much,” He said as he pulled back. He got off of Crookedpaw so he could stand again, feeling a little bad for tackling him, but he didn’t move from Crookedpaw’s side.
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Mon 20 Feb 2023 - 20:44
Creamsky was resting in the shade near the medicine cat's den - keeping an eye out. The sound of approaching pawsteps caught his ear, causing him to glance towards the entrance only for a flood of relief to wash over him at the sight of Birdstar returning - the number of cats with her having swelled. He slowly started to push himself to his paws, but that came to a pause as the leader called out and a Rainpaw called out a name.
Crookedpaw.
He was...? The warrior's entire body froze as he tracked Rainpaw darting forward and pressing himself against, indeed, Crookedpaw. His breath caught in his throat as he slowly started to approach, scanning the cats with Birdstar with a hopeful gaze but any hope crumbled away into despair as he easily did not spot the familiar pelt of Blackbear. ...No - why wasn't she...? She had left to find Crookedpaw! After moons, he was back so where was she! He stood there, mouth half-open - ready to voice his confused and concern but the words were stuck in is throat.
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Tue 21 Feb 2023 - 19:20
Beechfang padded quietly after Birdstar and the rest of the patrol, saying little as they walked. She was still on edge, and realizing that she only recognized her two daughters and Spottedfrog in the patrol was a sobering thought. She had half a mind to turn and leave, knowing that she shouldn't technically be here at all. But Birdstar had asked, and Beechfang hadn't the heart to deny her. And... She did want to see the rest of her kits, check on the clan that had been her home for so long.
As they neared he camp entrance, a small smile flickered across her face at Birdstar's words. "I didn't agree with my father on everything, but that was one of them. I'm glad you kept this up." It had been destroyed by Dawnhawk when the dark forest had swept through the forest like a plague, she was sure it had taken a lot of effort to restore. Especially after however long the clan had spent at fourtrees, too. But a frown crossed the tabby's expression as they entered camp, grimly noting the bits of red fur and blood scattered about. Fox, her nose told her.
---
Wolfblossom's ears pricked at the sounds of pawsteps approaching camp, muscles tensing slightly. After the foxes, she was a little on edge, and relief almost made her shoulders slump when Birdstar stepped through the camp's entrance. The rest of her patrol followed, and they weren't alone. Faces Wolfblossom hadn't seen in moons were finally home, and the deputy was hot on Rainpaw's paws, a loud purr rumbling in her throat as she nearly barreled into Plumleaf. "Stars, I missed you. Are you okay? Don't ever do that again, you hear me?" She wasn't truly mad... Just very glad to have her sister back. She padded up to Crookedpaw, affectionately flicking her tail over the apprentice's shoulder after Rainpaw had tackled him. "And you - I'm glad you're safe, Crookedpaw." Her gaze swept over the patrol, noting the distinct absence of Blackbear's pelt. If she had been the one to find Crookedpaw, Wolfblossom had no doubt that the smokey she-cat would have been alongside him now. That she wasn't was... concerning. Also concerning was the blood she could smell.
"What happened? You didn't run into the foxes we drove off, did you? Four of them, rushed the camp unlike anything I've ever seen before. No casualties, but we have injured." She frowned, addressing Birdstar. "I'm glad you're back, all of you." She added. Thornstalker, Stoneheart, Plumleaf, Astershine... They'd all made it. And-
Mom. The scarred silver tabby stood quietly off to the side, hanging back near the camp entrance awkwardly. Wolfblossom weaved through her clanmates, another purr working its' way from her throat as she pressed against her mother's pelt. Beechfang nuzzled the top of her head affectionately. "Missed you, kid." She mewed quietly.
---
Stoneheart quietly trailed the patrol back home, glad to be away from fourtrees and the receding sounds of twolegs and their filthy dogs. She wasn't quite sure about the big she-cat Birdstar had taken with them, but the young warrior knew it wasn't her place to say anything about it. And truly, it didn't matter. She was just glad to be back on Skyclan territory and nearing home. As the patrol filed into camp, Stoneheart eyed the bits of red fur scattered about the clearing, a flash of anger bubbling in her chest at the idea that something had happened. Foxes, Wolfblossom explained, and Stoneheart's tail flicked in acknowledgement. They'd been driven off, good. Not killed, apparently, which wasn't good.
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Thu 23 Feb 2023 - 8:29
Plumleaf couldn't belive she was finally home. After spending so long cooped up in that stuffy twoleg nest, she'd all but given up hope of ever seeing her family or her beloved clan again. Trailing Birdstar through the entrance, she gazed around at the camp, a small smile settling on her face. The tufts of fur and blood scattered around worried her, but thankfully it didn't look like anyone was too badly injured. She'd barely made it a few pawsteps into camp when a familiar shape pelted towards her, one she immediately recognized as Wolfblossom. She purred, her vision blurring as tears filled her eyes.
"I'm fine." She reassured her sister, nuzzling her briefly. "I missed you too."
Characters : Falconmoon, Sagefeather, Asmodeus, Snowhunter Number of posts : 3142 Gender : Female; She/Her Age : 33
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Thu 23 Feb 2023 - 13:33
Bloodstrike heard Birdstar's voice and he turned to look. He spotted everyone that had come back, but his eyes landed on Beechfang and never left. A brightness filled the old tom's eyes and a smile spread across his face. He galloped toward his daughter, making sure not to crowd Wolfblossom, and Bloodstrike rested his chin on the back of Beechfang's head. A deep purr rumbled from the massive tom's chest as he nuzzled his oldest daughter.
"Beechfang, I'm glad you're alright." He didn't care that the clan was watching. He rasped a tongue over Beechfang's head a few times, grateful that she was still alright. He felt warm for the first time in moons. "I was afraid something happened to you. I'm glad you're still alive. I love you." He whispered to her. He was getting soft in his old age maybe, but it didn't matter to him right now. He had lost too much family over his lifetime. He knew that whatever moment he had with them was a gift and not a given right.
As the clan began to gather around, Bloodstrike remembered something important that he needed to tell her. She needed to be prepared. He pulled away and looked her in the eye, seriousness back in his expression.
"Beechfang... there is something you should know. I just want you to be prepared for-"
It was too late. The apprentice's voice cut across the clearing, physically making Bloodstrike wince.
"Birdstar! Birdstar!" Falconpaw yelled, a white flash across the camp floor towards the leader. He paid no mind to Bloodstrike or who he was speaking to. The old tom was always too busy to interact with him much anyway. Right now, Falconpaw had his own thing he needed to do. "There were foxes in the camp! We fought them off! Are you okay? Did you see them?" The apprentice slid to a stop in front of his leader, looking everyone over for injuries. He himself was mostly unhurt beside a bruise or two. Nothing he couldn't handle.
"I can go after them! I can find them in their holes if you want!" He had to volunteer. He wanted Birdstar to know he was warrior material.
Bloodstrike had pressed what remained of his lips together and his eyes had closed briefly. When he opened them finally, he looked Beechfang in the eye. "-that..." He finished his sentence. He was ready to do whatever Beechfang needed him to do.
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Sat 25 Feb 2023 - 8:37
Birdstar
She'd barely caught a breath from calling out to the Clan before a delighted yowl followed her own and a bolt of fur zipped past her. Rainpaw went crashing straight into Crookedpaw, bowling them both into the earth, and Birdstar let her mild smile grow wide and toothy at the display. She rarely saw any intense emotion from Rainpaw, but it made her happy beyond expression to see his unbridled joy over his best friend's return. She would have just watched them fondly, but other voices demanded her attention. Turning away, she dipped her head to Wolfblossom as she approached. Though her smile hadn't faded, the brief lowering of her ears signaled her concern over the attack on camp.
"Well, foxes explain the blood. I'm glad SkyClan didn't decide to kill each other in my absence." She snorted, then continued, "No, no foxes. Actually– dogs. It was the strangest thing, Wolfblossom. Fourtrees was full of twolegs and their kits, all the stolen cats in these... not the traps that have been in the forest, but similar things. And a few dogs running around, too. Doesn't getting chewed on while avoiding getting stepped on sound fun?" She laughed wryly. The adrenaline and urgency did add a bit of thrill to it, but she doubted it would seem as exciting when she woke up sore in the morning. Quietly, she added, "We'll see to the injured soon," before letting Wolfblossom move to greet Beechfang.
When Wolfblossom stepped into the heart of the reunions, Birdstar took a few paces back, allowing her Clanmates room to see everyone they hadn't. Quietly, Birdstar reclined on her haunches, twisting to rasp her tongue across her shoulder. She winced a bit at the stinging, but with just a few swipes of her tongue she got most of the blood out of her fur. When she lifted her head, she saw Creamsky stuck at the edge of the crowd, his jaw slack. A pang of sympathy went through her chest, and she was about to move to sit next to him when another voice cried out for her attention. Gaze lingering on Creamsky for a moment, Birdstar shook her head and looked down at Falconpaw, smiling again. "Four of them, your mom said," she purred softly. "No, we didn't see them. I bet you fought hard enough to scare them away from SkyClan forever." Even if the praise was a touch exaggerated, she meant it: her family was one of capable warriors, smooth on their paws in battle. "If I sent you after them, where would ShadowClan get their pelts from? Let's keep Nightstar happy." Her tail swished lightly over Falconpaw's back, fond. "Good job though, Falconpaw. We'll go fox hunting together sometime, so I can watch you fight properly."
Number of posts : 1975 Gender : she/her || they/them || he/him Age : 26
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Sat 25 Feb 2023 - 8:59
Trufflesnap had been out patrolling when the foxes invaded camp and when she returned, hardly snuffled at the aftermath and stalked to a secluded area of camp to ignore the problem. She was on her back when Birdstar returned and she ignored that too for a while before sighing and lazily turning to look at the group but... There was mom! With youthful kit energy, she jumped up and barreled towards Beechfang. "Mother!" She cried out gleefully, shoving Wolfblossom to the side slightly in her haphazard manner. "I haven't seen you in moons! I thought you didn't care about me anymore." There was only one cat who could bring any semblance of glee to her, and that was Beechfang. She buried her head in her Mother's chest fur.
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Sat 25 Feb 2023 - 20:25
"Dad!" Beechfang couldn't hide the relief in her voice as Bloodstrike bounded up to her, wearily pressing against her father with a purr. He actually seemed happy to see her, and given everything the two had put each other through... Beechfang was grateful for that much. "They let you back in, if you're already here, I'm guessing?" He had told her of the intention to rejoin Skyclan, part of her wished she could do the same. Even as she thought that, Bloodstrike was trying to warn her of something, only for a cacophony of noise to interrupt. A pale-furred apprentice who bore a striking resemblance to family had bounded forward excitedly, quickly gaining Birdstar and Wolfblossom's attention through sheer excitable enthusiasm alone. Beechfang stared at the apprentice-aged tom for a moment, then her wide-eyed gaze snapped to Bloodstrike, hardly paying attention to what the trio were talking about. She could feel her throat constrict painfully. That wasn't- No. The 'mother' Birdstar had just referred to was not Wolfblossom. She had not missed one of her daughters taking a mate and having kits. It was bad enough that she'd missed their apprenticeships, their warrior ceremonies, Birdstar becoming deputy, every moment of even insignificance that she had wanted to be present in their lives for. Wolfblossom's voice finally registered in her ears after a moment that felt like an eternity, and Beechfang's tattered ears twitched at her words.
Before Beechfang could react, another cat was barreling forward, shoving Wolfblossom out of the way in her haste to get to Beechfang's side. The big tabby was very, very happy to focus on someone else's presence, especially that of her daughter, but Trufflesnap's words made the tabby's ears flatten. "I never forgot about you or didn't care, Trufflesnap." She mewed quietly, "I'm glad to see you. I would have lingered if you were not at fourtrees when I informed Birdstar of what happened, and then, well. Twolegs got me too. Like everyone else, apparently. I'm so glad to be out of there and to see all of you." Beechfang leaned forward, nudging the top of Trufflesnap's head gently. She may have been gladder were it not for the wealth of new information that had just been dropped on her, fur still poofed in shock that Trufflesnap had dumped a bucket of ice water over. The apprentice's unbridled enthusiasm, Wolfblossom was deputy... Wolfblossom had kits... Bloodstrike was here too. How much else would she continue to miss of their lives?
---
Wolfblossom huffed, quickly stepping out of Trufflesnap's way as her sister shoved her way toward their mother. Falconpaw was clearly excited, and she turned toward him as Birdstar spoke. "-and you fought well, son. As did the rest of them." Wolfblossom purred. "We chased them off, but couldn't kill them. I'd like to organize a patrol to ensure they're off our territory or are no longer a problem. I don't know what scared them - maybe it was related to your dogs and twolegs mucking about? Either way I won't have them returning here." Wolfblossom responded to Birdstar, lightly flicking Falconpaw's shoulder with her tail.
"...When I told you to pick somebody level-headed for deputy, Birdstar, I was not meaning for you to pick one of your siblings." Beechfang sputtered, though her voice lacked the strength to be truly admonishing.
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Sat 25 Feb 2023 - 22:47
Lightningpaw's attention was easily caught by the SkyClan leader's voice, turning her head to see not just Birdstar, but the cats who had vanished. She didn't miss Rainpaw charging forward to greet Crookedpaw- nor did she miss Creamsky's eyes scanning the crowd, searching for his mother; someone still missing.
None of the cats she cared for most had been among the lost. Not that she didn't love her clanmates, but there was no heart-wrenching reunion for her to have, so instead she charged over to where her best friend was standing and brushed up against him to provide what quiet comfort she could.Mistpaw was feeling better, though she'd still seen better days, but she had still pulled herself to her paws to see the cats that had returned. She had almost been one of them, she recalled, what confidence she'd felt during the earlier battle faltering. There were faces she didn't recognize among the crowd, and she shied away; hastily retreating to the safety of a nearby bush.
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Sun 26 Feb 2023 - 12:56
Creamsky could hear the voices of his Clanmates joyously greeting each other, all relief in their voice but it all just washed past his ears as he kept scanning the crowd again and again in hopes that Blackbear would just...Appear. But she didn't - she wasn't there. She was still gone, why was she still- The sinking of his heart was stopped by a pelt brushing against his, turning to see Lightningpaw leaning against him. He blinked a few times, before he leaned back against her with a gentle purr before glancing at where Crookedpaw and Rainpaw was. "...We should go say hi, shouldn't we?" he asked, a small smile curling at his muzzle. "I think the friend code would state that its very rude not to celebrate a friend's return."
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 : 3159 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] Wed 1 Mar 2023 - 11:37
Crookedpaw
Thoughts had swam through Crookedpaw’s head on the long walk back home. Thoughts of his time spent away, of how long it had been, of his time with Rowanpaw, of the things they said to one another—it made his chest scar ache and his collar was scratchy. And yet, it felt like no time passed at all before they stepped into camp.
And he was immediately on the ground.
Crookedpaw blinked a couple of times, staring with wide eyes up at the cat who collided with him. Which, he realized, was none other than Rain…paw? He must have another name by now. His heart twisted and ached at seeing the happiness in Rainpaw’s face and feeling how he curled up against him. Rainpaw was practically vibrating with purrs, but Crookedpaw couldn’t muster up a single one. Guilt tugged at the back of his mind for the things he did and said while at the twoleg place. How could Rainpaw be this excited to see him? It felt all wrong.
But he couldn’t act so depressed in the face of coming home. He had to be happy too. He did miss Rainpaw, so there was no use dwelling on worse feelings that mingled with it.
“Hello,” he replied back in a cool voice. He rolled over and got back up to his paws when Rainpaw relented. Rainpaw was bigger, he realized, but Crookedpaw had grown as well, so he was still a head taller than his friend. Rainpaw was still small, but not quite so kit-sized. He gave Rainpaw a smooth smile that looked so different from the bombastic grins he used to sport. “I missed you as well, dear friend. It is a pleasure to be back home. I do hope that you haven’t thrown my nest out despite all these moons away.” He looked to the other cats that had returned with Birdstar’s party, so he did not have to look at Rainpaw for too long. “It seems everyone is getting reunited today.”
![on the road, on the way to bremen [O; Return!] ABC-Gang-Acornstar-2](https://i.postimg.cc/KjP70W1N/ABC-Gang-Acornstar-2.png)
