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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Firepaw's entire world felt as though it was falling apart. Just days ago, everything had been going so smoothly. His training was progressing, the beasts on their territory had been quiet, and everyone was alive and healthy. Well, if Sunfire had taught him anything, it was to know that this period of calm wouldn't last forever. There were always clouds on the horizon and he should've known better than to grow complacent. Especially with the threat still lurking somewhere in the woods. Finally, the clouds broke, releasing a storm that tore his whole world apart.
Perhaps they'd done something to deserve this grief, but no matter how hard he wracked his brain, Firepaw couldn't find a reason why this had happened. He'd not known them well, but the deaths of Smokepetal, Mallowcloud, Yewshade, and Myrtlebloom sent shockwaves through SkyClan. For one clan to lose so many cats at once was unthinkable. It was hard, yes, but he would've been able to stubbornly soldier on for the sake of his clanmates if Honeydew and Sunfire hadn't been a part of the cats they lost. It was unfair that Honeydew had been killed, murdered by the monsters that roamed their forests. Even now, he missed her bright, cheeriness that lit up the camp.
Sunfire, his devoted, brave father, had presumably met the same fate as Honeydew. They hadn't found his body but, really, what else could have happened? The thought of never seeing his father again, after so much death, destroyed him. They were supposed to conquer the world together - to turn SkyClan into the shining beacon they both knew it had the potential to be. Now, all of it seemed like a distant memory - the dreams of a foolish kit.
Firepaw blinked once as tears threatened to spill. He'd never felt like this before - like his heart could seize up and stop at any moment. His ribs felt too tight, like they were constricting his lungs, but he was glad for it. Without the pressure, he feared he would unravel like spider's silk. It was all that was holding him together. All that reminded him that he was here.
Subject: Re: As the World Caves in, You're Here [C] Mon 29 Apr 2024 - 0:06
BLAZEPAWi can't be who you need me to be he/they - skyclan app. - 7 moons
Camp felt so empty lately, and Blazepaw couldn't stand it. Even here, in the apprentices' den, it was almost eerily silent - as though a permanent hush had fallen over the young cats. Almost all of them had lost a mentor, or kin, or both. Grief had hit the young cats hard, and nobody dared to break the quiet that hung heavy over the den. He wasn't even sure any of them had eaten in days.
What did they do to deserve this? He almost wished StarClan was real, and maybe none of this ever would've happened. He still couldn't process it - the way he'd never see Honeydew bumble around camp or hear Brackendawn's voice rousing him for training ever again. It just didn't make sense. They'd been there since he was born. How could SkyClan go on without so many of its warriors? How could he go on with so much loss weighing heavy in his heart? Sure, part of him wished things would just go back to normal - but the other part felt as though nothing could ever be normal again.
With Brackendawn gone, Blazepaw had only Firepaw left. He raised his head almost reluctantly, looking up from his bed of old, neglected moss to find his friend in the darkness of the den. The other cats had fallen asleep by now, their sniffles falling silent, but Firepaw was still wide awake. He met his best friend's gaze gently - and wanted to cry at the dimness he found there. Where was his friend's spark? Where had that fiery gaze and crooked grin gone?
Perhaps Blazepaw had only lost a mentor and a few familiar faces - but Firepaw had lost a father and a cousin. He knew how much the tortoiseshell had looked up to Sunfire. How much he'd loved him. And nobody even had answers for the poor tom - nobody had even found Sunfire's body. But he couldn't be alive. Wolfstar hadn't been able to say it, but everyone knew it. There was no possible way Firepaw's dad could still be alive. He'd never known his father, but Blazepaw couldn't even begin to imagine Firepaw's pain. If it was anything like the pain of losing Brackendawn (and of course it was), he was surprised the fluffy tom was so quiet. Deep down, Blazepaw wanted to wail like a kit, his heart feeling like it shattered and mended itself over and over again with each moment that passed. Why was the world so unfair? How could this happen to their Clan? First they lost Birdstar, among other cats he'd never quite known in the war - and now this.
But he forced it down, nearly choking on his grief as he took a shaky breath. His friend needed him. Blazepaw stood, rising with trembling legs. He didn't know how long had passed since he'd last left his nest. He couldn't tell anymore, not with all the days and nights blending together in the haze of his grief. He shuffled over to Firepaw, settling beside his best friend and pushing his nose into the tom's scruff. When was the last time they'd even really talked?
"I'm here, Firepaw. You..." He trailed off as his voice threatened to break, thick with the threat of tears. He had to be strong. Firepaw needed him to be strong. But there was a comfort in his friend's warmth, the softness of his thick fur and the sweet smell of moss and oak he always seemed to carry about him - even now, when he hadn't been on the territory in days. Blazepaw sighed softly, angry at the world that had taken so much from his best friend. "You can cry, y'know. It's okay to cry. I'm here. I've got you." He murmured, gently draping his tail over the tom's side. He hoped he was saying the right thing. He'd never had to comfort someone before. Tears began to well up in his own eyes. Could someone just tell us everything will be okay?
He knew Honeydew would've, if she'd still been alive.
Firepaw tensed as a familiar scent washed over him but didn't move or even look up as Blazepaw pressed in close to him. His throat constricted suddenly at his friend's reassuring presence, and, after a moment, he shifted in his nest to lean into Blazepaw's comforting warmth. They'd been too busy as apprentices - with training and whatnot - to spend much time together, but in the face of all of this loss, he was glad to know their friendship hadn't suffered because of it. For all the cats he missed, Firepaw was glad that his friend wasn't going to be one of them.
Yellow eyes burned with unshed tears and as Blazepaw spoke, promising that it was okay to let himself cry, the tortoiseshell tom blinked. It was okay, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to wallow in pity for himself and cry until he had no more tears. As tempting as it was to simply let the ground swallow him up, there were so many cats that still needed him. Blazepaw being one of them. He'd lost someone too - his own mentor, actually. With a sniffle, Firepaw curled around his friend and rested his head over Blazepaw's back. "I'm sorry." He croaked.
He hadn't even bothered to check on his littermates with everything that had happened. Or Mintglade. He was the worst brother, son, and friend in the history of the forest! "I've been so selfish. You lost someone too, Blazepaw. I'm so sorry about Brackendawn." He fell silent for a moment as the tears threatened to spill, but fiercely blinked them away. Deep down, he knew that Sunfire would be disappointed to see him wasting away in the darkness of his den. "Crying won't fix anything." He meowed firmly. "It won't bring back Sunfire, Honeydew, Brackendawn or anyone else." Nothing would. "But we can still do something."
If nothing else, they could avenge their lost clanmates. Those dogs, those beasts had stolen so much from him - from all of them. There had to be some way to take them down and make them suffer for all they pain they'd caused, there just had to be! With glistening eyes, Firepaw leaned back to look at Blazepaw, his expression intense with fury. "Those dogs." He snarled, the word laced with fury, "Let's kill them. You and me."
Subject: Re: As the World Caves in, You're Here [C] Sun 12 May 2024 - 21:21
BLAZEPAWi can't be who you need me to be he/they - skyclan app. - 6 moons
Blazepaw shook his head vehemently, taken aback at Firepaw's apology. Selfish? He'd hardly been selfish. Grief-stricken, maybe. But never selfish; Blazepaw wasn't sure his friend was even capable of that. He flicked his tail against the tom's flank, gentle but still insistent. "Hush. You haven't been selfish and you have nothing to apologize for. You've lost far more than I have." The apprentice's tone was chiding, but hardly angry - it was more gentle than anything. Then his tone softened further, and he lowered his voice as he spoke again. "But thank you." Truly, he just felt like he was being a kit about everything. The loss of so much kin hardly compared to losing a mentor. How did he expect to defend his Clan in times of war if he couldn't even handle one death?
Moonlight shone through the roof of the den, gently illuminating the tears that dampened Firepaw's cheeks, and Blazepaw felt an ache in his chest as he looked down at his best friend. The tom had leaned back to look at him, and as Blazepaw looked back, he realized that Firepaw wasn't going to let himself cry. The few tears that welled up in his gleaming yellow eyes were the only tears he'd let fall. The russet tabby leaned forward again, brushing his cheek against his buddy's thick fur, wiping his tears and attempting to comfort him.
Firepaw's attitude changed quicker than a fox's growl, though. Blazepaw leaned back as the tortoiseshell's voice turned to fury and determination took hold in his gaze. Do something? Firepaw wanted to kill the dogs? He'd never known the tom to be vengeful - though he supposed they were rarely serious with each other. For a moment, Blazepaw froze, staring into his friend's eyes - burning with rage and as intense as he'd ever seen them - with wide eyes of his own. His ears twitched, almost pinning back against the sides of his head as he was forced to think about the dogs. He didn't think he'd ever seen a dog. But from the stories and cautious warnings of those older than he...well, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to see a dog.
Then his mind flashed back to all the cats SkyClan had lost. He'd die for them. He'd probably kill for them, too. Blazepaw's shock turned to determination, too, and that same need for revenge began to shine within his gaze. "Let's do it." He decided. His voice matched Firepaw's anger and fury. Wherever Firepaw went, he went.
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Subject: Re: As the World Caves in, You're Here [C]
