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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Leaf-fall is finally here, and with it, the promise of colder, crueler, days ahead.
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Subject: Miss Missing You [C] Tue 2 Apr 2024 - 19:25
OATFLUFFare you going to age with grace? he/him - t2 windclan warrior
It was by all accounts a perfect day, and Oatfluff had gotten up early to hunt, not wanting to waste a second of newleaf. Now, dropping his prey on the overflowing fresh-kill pile, the mottled brown tom looked around camp thoughtfully. He wanted to be productive - and with all of the patrols already having left, and no apprentice of his own yet to train, Oatfluff turned his mind toward the chores that were left to be done around the camp.
WindClan had wasted no time moving back into their old home. The nursery had been the first to be repaired, then the elders' den; Tigerstar's den had been fixed up by a few cats who wanted to something nice, but one den had never been touched. His gaze turned to the unfamiliar burrow tucked safely off to the side. Distantly, he remembered Daisyfang poking her head out, or disappearing into the shade of the burrow behind an injured cat. He himself had been in there exactly once, when he'd contracted some sort of illness at his first Gathering. Oatfluff padded over to the small space, sniffing at it. No, he hadn't spent much time here at all, but anyone could see it had fallen into a state of disrepair. Old moss marked the beds beneath the sky, and the shallow tunnel that provided shelter from harsher weather was beginning to crumble. The herb stores, as sad as they were, were scattered all over the small warren - blown about by wind or torn apart by younger cats, maybe. Oatfluff hummed to himself, lost in thought.
His first Gathering. It was hard to forget - it'd been so exciting! He'd only talked to one apprentice from a different Clan for about a minute, but he never forgot a face. Bearpaw. Hemlockfox, he was called now. He was officially helping out the moorland cats - officially taking up residence in WindClan. Oatfluff was, of course, ecstatic - even if Hemlockfox didn't remember him. But there was something that seemed to draw him to the burly, grumpy tom. Something about him. And Oatfluff had an idea.
The fluffy warrior crouched low, slipping easily into the wide burrow. Was it his place to sort herbs, really? Maybe not, but how hard could it be? It'd save Hemlockfox the time and trouble, and maybe the tom wouldn't have to come back to some raggedy, torn up den. What kind of welcome was that? Oatfluff felt a pang of guilt, though it wasn't like he'd known the blue-eyed medic was coming in advance. If he had, he was sure he would've gotten around to fixing up the den beforehand. Focus, Oatfluff. He drew in a slow breath and squinted at the herbs. He could do this. He was sure he could. All he had to do was put like with like. Carefully, he sorted through the scattered leaves and flower buds, making a small pile for the small, azure star flowers, then another for the bright yellow flower buds...the only one he recognized was lavender, from when Daisyfang had rubbed some into his pelt. He was especially fond of lavender.
The sun was high in the sky when he was finished. Oatfluff was proud of himself - he'd only sneezed three times! He stepped back to admire his work, the herbs all organized into neat piles now, and looked around the medicine den for any other areas that had fallen into disrepair. He'd make new nests next. He'd gathered some moss the day before, and there'd been plenty left after he refreshed all of the apprentices' nests. He hummed to himself as he worked, barely registering anything around him.
Hemlockfox padded into the camp with various herbs clutched in his jaws, his fur ruffled from the harsh winds on the moor. With a snort, he shook out his pelt and crossed the camp towards his 'den'. It was more of a glorified ditch than anything, really. However, as he approached, it wasn't just the familiar scent of herbs and dust that greeted him. Some cat was in his den. With a curled lip, Hemlockfox swept into the small clearing that marked his space, eyes stormy. Just who, exactly, had taken it upon themselves to sniff around and mess with his things?
Blue eyes fell on a faintly familiar pelt and, with a flick of his tail, Hemlockfox set his herbs down, expression closed off. He remembered this cat from his first day in WindClan's camp and, even before that, from a gathering he'd been to as an apprentice. Clearing his throat, Hemlockfox padded around the warrior, placing himself between him and the rest of the den. "Can I help you?" He asked roughly, ears slanted back slightly. Then, with a frown, he looked around, taking in the freshly made nests and the now organized stacks of herbs tucked carefully away. What? Gaze flickering back to the warrior, Hemlockfox narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"You spent the entire morning...fixing my den." He meowed slowly, pelt twitching uncomfortably. "Why?" Did he want something? Was this some sort of bribe for demands yet to come? Or, perhaps, did he really just want to do something nice for someone else? Someone he didn't even know? What a Thymelight thing to do. With a dismissive flick of his tail, he continued. "Nevermind. Thank you...uh...I assume your name isn't Oatpaw anymore?" It had, after all, been moons since he'd been relentlessly pestered by the cat before him at that gathering - he was bound to be a warrior by now. If not, well, that was just embarrassing.
Subject: Re: Miss Missing You [C] Fri 26 Apr 2024 - 0:26
OATFLUFFare you going to age with grace? he/him - t2 windclan warrior
The short tom startled from his work as a rumbling voice rang out, nearly tearing the carefully constructed bed of moss at his paws to shreds. He whipped around, amber eyes wide. Who - what - oh. A friendly smile took over his features as Oatfluff registered the intruder. Hemlockfox! He'd recognize those blue eyes and broad shoulders anywhere. He turned around fully to face the seal point tom - long, fluffy tail curling up over his back and ears perking in greeting.
"Oh! Hey there!" He greeted cheerfully before glancing nervously behind him at his work, suddenly anxious he'd done something wrong, or messed up the herbs beyond repair somehow. But the medicine cat didn't seem mad - just confused, and maybe a bit suspicious. How can one cat be so full of distrust? WindClan was new to the tom, sure, but Oatfluff felt they'd proven themselves friendly enough. Maybe I'm too trusting.
The mottled fluff blinked, confused at the question. Why? Because...well, it was a nice thing to do, wasn't it? "I wanted you to have a warm welcome. This den...it was hardly a place for someone as valuable as you to work." He answered honestly, his quizzical expression fading. "Is it okay? I don't really know herbs - I just, ah, kinda sorted them based on look and scent..." He fretted, oddly anxious at the idea of messing this up. The warrior's eyes widened as he inspected his work, but he didn't really know what it would look like to a more experienced gaze.
"Of course!" Oatfluff purred at the tom's thanks. "Nope! I'm Oatfluff now! And you're Hemlockfox. I had to learn that, oops. " He wanted to ask about the name change, but it felt inappropriate - like maybe he shouldn't ask personal questions like that and make the medic uncomfortable. Not that he'd minded any other time he'd spoken to him. Part of Oatfluff felt awkward about his warrior name - it wasn't cool like Sootstorm, or fierce like Crakeburn, or pretty like Nectarflower. He couldn't forget the way Heatherfrost had teased him about it. But...it was still him. He hoped Hemlockfox wouldn't laugh.
"How are you liking WindClan, by the way?" He asked, turning to straighten up the final nest before facing his Clanmate again. "If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know!" Oatfluff offered, smiling widely, though his tone was sincere. How exciting to have a new face in the Clan!
Hemlockfox scoffed, a deep, rueful noise, and rolled his eyes at Oatfluff. Someone as important as me?Oh please. The thought was almost laughable. He was a medicine cat, sure, but it didn't mean he needed to be pampered or that he deserved better than any other cat. Warriors were just as important as he was. Without them to feed and defend the clan, he wouldn't have anyone to even take care of. Though, one look at the new setup of his den curbed the tom's annoyance...somewhat. It looked good. Better than before, certainly. Though that wasn't hard.
With a soft huff of approval, Hemlockfox padded around Oatfluff and sniffed around the herb stores, carefully ensuring that everything was sorted properly. Once he was certain things were at least organized, he turned around and eyed the WindClanner. "You did well enough. I'll move things around to my liking later." Then, with a flick of his ear, added, "And don't discount a warrior's worth - I don't want your special treatment anyway."
He didn't respond as Oatfluff went on, simply nodded in acknowledgement. This tom sure did talk a lot. It was something he'd noticed when they met all those moons ago, but great StarClan did small talk get on his nerves. If he wanted to gossip, he'd sleep in the elder's den. "It's fine." He meowed after a moment, ears slicked back slightly. "Unless you can make trees grow from nothing or get my sisters here, though, I doubt there's anything you can help me with." With a dismissive flick of his tail, the seal point tom turned back around and nudged his new nest with a paw. Gonna need to find feathers for this at some point.
Subject: Re: Miss Missing You [C] Thu 9 May 2024 - 22:44
OATFLUFFare you going to age with grace? he/him - t3 windclan warrior
Oatfluff watched with wide eyes as the tom examined his work, as though waiting for him to say that he hated it or he'd messed everything up forever or something of the like. But he didn't. Hemlockfox actually seemed...to approve? Oh, thank StarClan."I'm glad!" He chirped. But then came that gruff, stern tone. He was beginning to be rather well-acquainted with that tone. He didn't mind too much - that was just Hemlockfox being Hemlockfox, after all! Still, he took a step back, berated and surprised at the medicine cat's words. "Special treatment? Oh, no! I didn't mean that. Just...after Daisyfang, our last medicine cat, I think all of us realized just how important each role is to a thriving Clan." He tried to imagine the Clan without any warriors to keep it running, and had to stop himself from shuddering.
But Oatfluff wasn't sure he liked the way Hemlockfox's tone turned to dismissal. Not at first, anyway - he was taken aback before he realized just how strong he must be coming on. To him, there was a new face around camp and that was wonderful, but to the former SkyClanner? If Oatfluff were in his position, he'd probably have a lot on his mind. And he'd probably be pretty homesick, too. The sunny tom's ears flicked back for the briefest second as he realized that he should back off a bit. His sisters? He misses his sisters. Hmm. He was sure there was a way to get Hemlockfox to see his sisters again, but he was also sure he should let the tom get settled in first. Should I ask about them? No - best not to poke the bear. He might end up making the medic upset.
"If I could make trees grow, WindClan's territory wouldn't be quite so empty," The mottled tom's whiskers twitched as he attempted to joke. It wasn't a lie; he loved the way the trees smelled across WindClan's borders. It might be nice to have a little cover. "But, ah, I wasn't quite done. One sec, and I'll be out of your fur, I promise." Oatfluff dipped his head before he padded hurriedly past the seal-point, ducking just outside of the burrow and dragging in a small mess of black and brown feathers. "I didn't have quite enough to line each nest, so I wasn't sure I should bring them, but...I have some crow and wren feathers here. You could use them to line your nest, if you'd like?" It might remind him of home, after all. The stout warrior gently set the bundle of feathers by Hemlockfox's paws, his eyes bright and hopeful. Please approve.
Hemlockfox glanced sideways at Oatfluff as he spoke and huffed. He'd never been fond of the life of a medicine cat, but his distaste grew every time a cat treated him like he couldn't care for himself or his duties. He may not be a warrior, but he could certainly handle his own herbs and den. He'd been a warrior apprentice once - trained under the fiercest cat in SkyClan. He'd defeated several opponents in battle and killed foxes for StarClan's sake! This entire clan was soft. Their warriors, apparently, wasted their time cleaning and fixing nests - an apprentice's job.
He frowned briefly, as Oatfluff went on, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He couldn't lie, it was nice to have a fresh, clean den, but the warrior's bright personality reminded him too much of Thymelight. No cat was nice purely out of the goodness of their hearts. There was always a motive. Though, as he looked around the den, he couldn't help but admit that Oatfluff had done a good job while he'd been too busy collecting herbs and tending to the neglected clan.
"Mm. Tell that to the rest of your clan." He grunted. It was amusing, really, imagining the thin WindClanners trying to race through the thick undergrowth of the forest. Then, as he prepared to tell the warrior to find someone else to bother, he swept past him. Oh? What else could he possibly have? Hemlockfox watched as Oatfluff returned and stared, slack-jawed, as he returned with a pile of...feathers? "Oh." He blinked uncertainly at the feathers for a moment before, slowly, he reached out and pawed at a soft-looking wren feather.
"I...guess I could take a few." He meowed eventually. The crow feathers looked stiff and smelled unfamiliar, but the wren feathers were much smaller and softer. More than that, though, they reminded him of the wrens he used to catch in the forest. "Thanks...these brown ones will do. They're kinda like the ones my sisters and I would line our nests with." Then, with little more than a glance at the remaining feathers, he turned around and began to tuck his collection into his nest. It was odd that Oatfluff had thought to bring him feathers, but he wouldn't question it. It would be nice to have something to remind him of home. At least, until his sisters got here.
