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: and now you're in the stars [c] Wed 8 May 2024 - 23:36
OATFLUFFare you going to age with grace? he/him - t3 windclan warrior
The long-furred tom awoke with a gasp, torn violently out of his sleep by some cruel nightmare. As the world around him came into focus, he took quick, shallow breaths, gasping for air as he tried desperately to steady his racing heart. Wide, panicked brown eyes darted around the sleeping camp as the tom tried to get his bearings. Ah. He was still in his nest, safe within WindClan's gorse walls. It was only a nightmare.
And then he glanced around at all the empty nests, yet to be cleaned out as the Clan still grieved, and he realized it hadn't been only a nightmare. So many warriors were still dead. Sootstorm was still dead. WindClan would never be the same again, and that was a nightmare he couldn't seem to wake from. Cats he'd grown up with and strong warriors that had served their Clan for more moons than he'd even been alive...death hadn't discriminated between the young or the great, it seemed. And camp was just so empty now. So quiet. Oatfluff's tail lashed, his brown eyes burning with sadness and rage in the darkness. Nighttime was the only time his negative thoughts couldn't be drowned out by the chatter of his Clanmates, and now he couldn't seem to find his sense of optimism. No - everything was just unfair. And StarClan didn't even seem to care about the living any more. If they did, would so many have been lost so carelessly?
The stout warrior brought himself to his paws, shaking out his coat and making his way to the camp entrance as quietly as he could. He didn't want to wake anyone, but...he needed to get out of here. As he sat outside the gorse walls, head tilted to the sky in silent watch of the stars, he felt a pang in his chest. Was Sootstorm up there? Was Cloudypetal? Galestorm? Did it even matter? His breath came out in unsteady gasps, and he was so absorbed in his stargazing that he didn't even hear a set of paws approaching.
Subject: Re: and now you're in the stars [c] Fri 24 May 2024 - 22:00
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
If there was one thing his mentor taught him, it was the power of a great nap. Marigoldpaw had gone to sleep early while he could still catch the sun's wonderful rays. It was his only escape. Sadness hung in the hearts of everyone he saw, whether they wore it on their face or hid it behind their eyes, he could tell. Their grief fueled a great dark cloud that swallowed the camp, making it too miserable and suffocating to stand. Wherever he looked there were reminders of them. Of their absence. Marigoldpaw just couldn't let himself inhale that smoke any longer. So here, with the sun warm on his face, patrols finished and no nagging mentor, he could relax deeper with each rise and fall of his chest, able to pretend as though nothing had ever gone wrong.
Next time he opened his eyes the sun was gone. Replaced with the great big blackness of night and its swathe of accompanying stars. Another painful reminder. His tail thrashed. The apprentice shut his eyes and turned over, trying to focus on the wilting flowers sewn into his nest. But now he had energy. Energy that just begged to be let out. If only he was allowed to go out on his own and run! Unfortunately, all he could do instead was plead his mind to shut off.
Someone gasped. Marigoldpaw nearly bolted but remained still as his ears tuned in. The someone was still trying to catch their breath, clearly startled. Are they okay? He thought about it for a second. Probably just a nightmare. Maybe they'll go back to sleep. But no, the cat was awake and on the move. Marigoldpaw rolled over to watch them exit camp. ...Maybe something's wrong, he worried, quietly following the fluffy tom's path. The warrior -Oatfluff, as his scent hinted- sat just outside, the top of his brown head lit by moonlight as he continued sparse breaths. Marigoldpaw approached slowly. "Hey... are you okay dude?" he asked softly, unsure if the tom might be in a fragile or hostile state.
Subject: Re: and now you're in the stars [c] Sun 9 Jun 2024 - 19:45
OATFLUFFare you going to age with grace? he/him - t3 windclan warrior
Oatfluff looked up as Marigoldpaw's voice rang out. Oh. Had he been loud? He hadn't meant to wake anybody. He was still trying to catch his breath though, his flanks rising and falling unevenly as he tried to slow his racing heart. Slowly, he closed his brown eyes and took deep breaths, then opened them again when he felt ready to face his friend.
"Hey, Mari." He greeted, his voice soft as he tried to chase the sadness that he was sure was apparent in his gaze. He nodded for the tom to join him. "Sorry if I woke you. I just...needed a minute. It's all so much lately." There was a somber note to his tone as he tilted his head back to see the stars once more. There were so many, some forming patterns with the other in the deep velvet of the night sky. Countless stars for countless ancestors. How many had been lost needlessly, or had their lives taken too soon by some cruel illness? It wasn't right.
He breathed softly. He needed to be strong - even though it was just Marigoldpaw, he still felt the need to put up a strong front. He needed to be there for his Clanmates - he couldn't hang back, all weak and sniveling, while the rest of the Clan suffered. They all deserved a shoulder to lean on, and his entire life, he'd been determined to be that shoulder. "How are you holding up?" Oatfluff asked softly, looking back over at the tom beside him. Marigoldpaw had lost friends and Clanmates too. It was selfish to make this all about him. No, he'd had a nightmare, that was all. He was fine.
![and now you're in the stars [c] Aa9d24d70df9858f985c454d207b8b3cdc4cf12e](https://64.media.tumblr.com/5dfa3a48a131a2e6d3e25ebfb5b62262/d338c5a9b790fd70-3d/s250x400/aa9d24d70df9858f985c454d207b8b3cdc4cf12e.gifv)