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 : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw [D]aytrader, [R]yepaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T4 Deputy | ShadowClan, Apprentice| T1 Loner | WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 567 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Sun 19 Nov 2023 - 11:56
cindersky
t1 warrior | riverclan
The Sun had dipped over the horizon, yet still, Cindersky remained restless. She didn't know what to do with herself. Many had left to sleep with the majority of cats remaining about being ShadowClan cats, and truce or no truce, she would rather not. RiverClan was her fortress and she did not wish to go out of it as far as they were already. Sleep did not come to her that night, and the bits of black that she got were wrenched from her by dreams she would rather not have. She did not feel safe out here, and her night-time visions reflected that, apparently.
So, she came up with an idea. She would probably regret asking this, but in all fairness, she decided she would rather have Larkspring grumble and give out to her than face a night of pure silence. She felt bad at the same time, bothering him, but if he wished to just go back to sleep she would permit it. Just because she couldn't, didn't mean he shouldn't. She tip-toed around the mass of slumbering cats until she had found the right-shape, right-patterned black and white fur, and with a gentle push she nudged against his shoulder.
"Larkspring?" She whispered, painfully afraid of waking up some other cat by collateral (collaterol?). "Are you awake?" She nudged him, feather-light, a second time. She felt foolish for even trying it. He did not seem the type to entertain a chilly midnight walk.
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 : 3167 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Mon 20 Nov 2023 - 16:13
Larkspring
Larkspring had taken well to the exhausted sleeps that followed the long days of walking through foreign land. Even with all of the training he went through to be a warrior, his body still felt sore and tired after walking for the entire day with little respite. He had drifted in and out of sleep since the clans settled down for the evening until he was nudged awake.
His ears flattened and fur on his neck bristled as he looked to see who nudged him. He relaxed when he saw it was Cindersky and he lifted his head. “I am now. What is it?”
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw [D]aytrader, [R]yepaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T4 Deputy | ShadowClan, Apprentice| T1 Loner | WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 567 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Tue 21 Nov 2023 - 10:20
cindersky
t1 warrior | riverclan
Cindersky had expected to have been chewed out by now by a groggy Larkspring. Not questioned calmly, and the bristle turned quick slack surprised her. She blinked slowly at him, a wordless apology, and then hunkered down closer to him so that neither need raise their voice too high.
"I... I couldn't sleep," She admitted. It felt kitlike. But even in kithood, she remembered seeking out some other queen to stay closer to when she couldn't. Comfort. "I-- You can say no and I will leave you to go back to sleep. But I was wondering if you would like to take a short walk? Or even just sit and look at the stars..? Something that might make sleep easier, I--... I don't know."
Even this was working. Saying something to someone and getting something back. She could distract herself in that. She did not expect sleep to come after their walk or star-gaze, even though she said so. She did not want to spend the night alone, all the same. Yet, if he wished it, she would let him go back to sleep without question. She would not drag him into a sleepless night with her.
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 : 3167 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Sat 25 Nov 2023 - 18:26
Larkspring
Larkspring blinked at Cindersky in the dark of the night. He only considered for a moment—and even then, it was not really consideration—before he stood and stretched out his back to release the stiffness of sleep from his muscles. “If we walk, we should not go too far or for too long. We don’t want to get in trouble, nor do I want Rookflight worrying if they wake up to us gone.”
A midnight walk was not on his mind for things to do, but he could not find it in himself to say no to Cindersky. They could just look at the stars, but he thought he might fall asleep if they just watched the stars, and Cindersky just said that she could not sleep. A walk would do better for the both of them.
“Lead the way,” he offered and tilted his head in the direction they had walked the day before; at least then they had less of a risk of getting lost or encountering something new and dangerous.
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw [D]aytrader, [R]yepaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T4 Deputy | ShadowClan, Apprentice| T1 Loner | WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 567 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Tue 28 Nov 2023 - 9:48
cindersky
t1 warrior | riverclan
His willingness was refreshing and a little bit surprising. The ghost of a smile worked its way onto her weary features and she mumbled out a soft; "Thank you," and stepped back so he could move about. She flicked an ear at the end of his statement, parting her mouth to speak but decided it would be best to wait until they had moved away from the mound of sleeping felines.
She followed his gesture and guided them back out onto the plains, not too quick a pace but not a painfully slow stroll either. Something to keep her paws moving without exhausting her. She looked back at him when they were enough away. "I won't keep you long. I... I just wanted company, I suppose. Rookflight hopefully won't notice we were gone."
She did not think of anything to say when they got out this far. The air was crisp, stars bright above them and droplets of dew was beginning to form on blades of grass. It made her paws damp, and yet she found she could not bring herself to care.
"How are you keeping?" She asked then, turning her head to look at him rather than keeping them fixed on the ground ahead of her. "And answer honestly, Larkspring. Harsh or not so harsh. Are you adjusting to being a warrior alright? If that is even possible-- I suppose this journey has ruined any chances of that."
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 : 3167 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Thu 30 Nov 2023 - 14:37
Larkspring
Answer honestly, hmm? Larkspring would think nothing less. He did not often try to hide how he actually felt—especially around Cindersky, who accepted him as he was, warts and all.
He sighed and looked up at the sky. “I am…fine, I think. Annoyed, mostly. I finally become a warrior and we have to leave the clan entirely.” He scowled and then let the expression slide off his face. “I was looking forward to the independence of being a warrior, but we don’t get much of that in such a foreign land…It has not been terrible, though.”
He drew silent again and then finally looked at Cindersky to meet her gaze. “…I guess something has been bothering me. I haven’t really talked to anyone about it. I mentioned it to Rookflight, but only briefly.” He watched her another moment and then asked, “How come you did not hate me upon our meeting? I was not exactly a kind cat to you.”
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw [D]aytrader, [R]yepaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T4 Deputy | ShadowClan, Apprentice| T1 Loner | WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 567 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Fri 1 Dec 2023 - 4:47
cindersky
t1 warrior | riverclan
"Imagine if we were still apprentices," She hummed, a bemused smile quirking the corners of her lips. "Any hint of independence would be gone then. It mightn't be the same as being a warrior back home... But maybe, when we are back home, it will feel that much better."
When, or if. She didn't know which to say but all the same the idea of not returning being a possibility made her chest hurt in a way she did not like. She did not mind the travelling, especially when with cats she was comfortable with. She was glad he did not hate it, though.
Her train of thought was thrown for a loop at his next question. She blinked at him stupidly for a moment, confusion on her face. "Why did I not hate you?" She echoed, as though it was the most preposterous question she had ever been asked. Which, in her mind, it was. "Why would I have hated you? You were not kind, but you were not cruel. If... I am honest, at first I thought you were having a bad day. I did not hold anything you said against me. For... A time it made me question how I talk, but not long."
She fell silent, trying to figure out the best way to phrase her next sentence. She knew what she wanted to say, but she did not want it to sound odd, or throw him for another loop. "You said things that might have hurt, but then in the next breath softened it. I wasn't going to form my entire opinion on you from our first meeting. It's not like you were trying to hurt me; you said that yourself. And every time we spoke after, you proved that. You helped me, looked out for me. Those are not traits of a cat I would hate."
She moved to the side and butt her head into his shoulder softly. "If you think one day I will wake up, think about how you may have been, and decided never to speak to you again, I won't," She said. "You are not the same Larkspring you were before, and I wouldn't have abandoned him, either."
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 : 3167 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Sat 9 Dec 2023 - 9:56
Larkspring
Larkspring kept his gaze facing forward, feeling nervous about what Cindersky might say now that he spoke his question aloud into the quiet night air. Cindersky was sweet, and kinder than any cat that Larkspring had ever met, but she was still just a cat. If she was faced with the truth that he was not a good person, the same kinds of truths that Gingerstripe had faced him with, then surely she would realize that she had wasted her time trying to befriend him.
And yet, she seemed baffled by the very idea. Larkspring looked at Cindersky with wide eyes and listened to her line of logic. Larkspring’s ears pressed down; he had not been in a bad mood, that was simply how he was. And yet she continued to give him that benefit of the doubt. She insisted that she would not have left him behind, sour attitude or not.
“But…But why?” Larkspring finally sputtered. “My personality is prickly as a thorn bush. Cats never give me the benefit of the doubt. If I am not kind then they have no reason to bother.” He looked down at his paws and thought again of Gingerstripe’s advice. “I need to..change.”
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw [D]aytrader, [R]yepaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T4 Deputy | ShadowClan, Apprentice| T1 Loner | WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 567 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Sun 10 Dec 2023 - 10:29
cindersky
t1 warrior | riverclan
"Do I truly need a 'why' to stay with you?" Cindersky replied, slowing her walking until they came to an eventual stop. She had never seen Larkspring so worried, wound up or bothered by something. Especially not like this-- Not without tersity to his tone. This time it made her chest tug and left an aftertaste of distress. "Every thorn bush has a rose, Larkspring. You've proved to me time and time again that beneath it all, your rose is just as beautiful as any other, if not more. Change won't happen overnight-- Something I... Even I have difficulty coming to terms with. You know your flaw, or what is seen as your flaw-- You've seen it since we were apprentices, and you've been challenging it since."
She let out a soft sigh, her tired postured mimicking his in that of flicked back ears but her tail was still swaying. Not irritance, or frustration. Just worry and care. "Look at me?" She said. "If I am to need a 'why', it will be that you were patient with me. But I have said that to you before. I stay with you because you mean the world to me. You, Rookflight. I-.. I don't know where I would be, what I would be, if it were not for you. It... may seem all talk, but I would fight StarClan if it meant I could show you how I see you."
She didn't know what else to say. She could not change him, she didn't see why he needed to change, but she had already gotten through that 'thorn bush' he kept so many out with. "I... don't know if I can advise you on how to change. In my eyes, you do not need to. But you see that you do, so we can do that. I don't want you to do it alone."
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 : 3167 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Mon 18 Dec 2023 - 12:17
Larkspring
Looking at Cindersky felt like the last thing that Larkspring wanted to do, but he was not going to ignore her, and so he slowly lifted his head to hesitantly look at Cindersky. The worry in her gaze almost burned. What did he do to deserve such kindness from such a nice cat? Gingerstripe had showed him how awful he was most of the time. Rookflight was his sibling, so of course they would be kind to him…but why Cindersky? Why did he deserve her patience?
“Not a lot of cats like me,” he admitted quietly. “A few for good reason, others probably because they had seen how I act, even if I did not outright wrong them. But…you don’t. And I don’t understand it. It’s odd.” Larkspring swayed briefly on his paws, letting his weight shift from one side to the other.
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw [D]aytrader, [R]yepaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T4 Deputy | ShadowClan, Apprentice| T1 Loner | WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 567 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Tue 19 Dec 2023 - 9:44
cindersky
t1 warrior | riverclan
Her words did not seem to be getting through, not to the root. It did not seem to ease his worries and this kind of self-doubt, unsteady self-reflection, she did not want to see it. Not because she didn't want to deal with it or help him through it, but because she didn't want him to hurt in that sort of a way.
"You don't have to understand it," He could not seem to smile at the moment, so she would do it for him. "I just want you to know that I could never not like you. Even if a river rapid of cats decided they had it out for you, I would still be beside you. So would Rookflight. I could not imagine a world where I disliked you."
Words played on her tongue that she wanted to say but all the same did not. She could stand here and gush about how much he meant to her, and to Rookflight. How even though he could not see it he was valued, and if he were suddenly missing it would leave such a gaping void that a fallen tree could not make it crossable. That might not be what he needed to hear right now, clutching at grains of sands.
"I don't know if you can fix other things you may have done, but all you can do is try. An apology, or a warmer approach later on," She suggested, nudging against his shoulder again to steady his sway. Steady paws, steady thoughts-- Or so her father used to say all those moons ago. "But you can try to make your future relationships better. Put yourself in another cats paws. It... Won't be easy, but it will become as easy as breathing the more you try, okay?" With a little purr, she added; "Don't doubt yourself, Larkspring. You are so much better than you think you are, you just need to let that thorn bush fall away every now and again. It might do you some good."
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 : 3167 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Wed 20 Dec 2023 - 13:30
Larkspring
Larkspring listened quietly to Cindersky’s words. Close to the end of her speech, he finally lifted his head to look at her. She looked so honestly at him, and she brushed up against him with easy affection and without hesitation. Larkspring never thought he would feel close to any cat outside of Rookflight, but he could not say that he was not close with Cindersky. She made him feel listened to.
“I am not sure what I ever did to earn your friendship, but I am glad I did,” he told her quietly. He sighed and shook out his pelt like he could throw off the ill feelings that clung to him. “Here you are comforting me from my worries when I was supposed to be helping you…How come you couldn’t sleep?”
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw [D]aytrader, [R]yepaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T4 Deputy | ShadowClan, Apprentice| T1 Loner | WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 567 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Thu 21 Dec 2023 - 6:04
cindersky
t2 warrior | riverclan
"And I am glad for yours," Cindersky answered him, glad that he seemed more relaxed now. Her ears moved back at his question, and she realised that for a time, she had forgotten it was the middle of the night. She chuckled to herself, a quiet, half-hearted thing, and shook her head as though it were not important.
"I don't sleep well most nights," She murmured, gesturing with her head to resume their walk. They had not gone far at all, and she would rather keep moving while talking about herself. "I get little of it. I don't mind it, usually-- It's more often than not just a case of not being able to settle even though I might be tired. Some nights though, the sleep I do get... My dreams are not always kind to me. It was that way since I was still in the nursery, so I don't mind it that much, but tonight left me on edge for whatever reason."
She huffed, and taking a glance up added; "Don't worry about me, though. I'll always be fine."
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 : 3167 Gender : Any Pronouns Age : 26
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Fri 29 Dec 2023 - 11:28
Larkspring
Larkspring frowned as Cindersky explained her sleeping troubles.“Not being able to sleep sounds annoying. You should talk to Sandyshell. Maybe she has herbs that can help.” Of course, now that they’re headed some place new, maybe those herbs won’t be around…He wouldn’t know for sure, though. “Well you can bother me if you ever have trouble sleeping. Rookflight had trouble like that when we were kits. It helped to sleep near someone.”
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw [D]aytrader, [R]yepaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T4 Deputy | ShadowClan, Apprentice| T1 Loner | WindClan Apprentice Number of posts : 567 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: tall, bare trees, you run on beside me (c) Tue 2 Jan 2024 - 3:14
cindersky
t2 warrior | riverclan
She nodded at his suggestion to visit Sandyshell, but she knew that she wouldn't. The last thing she wanted to do was take herbs or attention away from anyone who needed that. It was not like her lack of sleep was affecting her. Not yet, she supposed. She was getting by on the broken hours but she wondered if they would disappear, too.
"The last thing I want to do is wake you up most nights trying to get out of the nest for a walk," She purred, but she was thankful for the suggestion. "And... Thank you. I promise I won't bother you too much. I am usually okay. Sometimes I can just lay there and pretend I am asleep so the night passes quickly, but other nights..." Like this one, she wanted to say, but she assumed it would go without saying. "I want to say it's just because we're on the move. Maybe when we stop travelling and settle, I won't be as restless."
