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looking for lost souls { ivory x aspen }
ivorypetal
SkyClan
Posts: 6
Rank: warrior
Age: 16 moons
Gender: female
Played By: doe
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Post by ivorypetal on Jun 7, 2015 12:40:33 GMT -5
the late afternoon breeze spoke of rain and storms as it whipped through the highlands, making the leaves flutter and the needles whistle. that patchy, tough grass that covered the reach was writhing restlessly around delicate white paws which picked their path so carefully. this terrain could be dangerous, after all. she certainly didn't want to be caught up here when the rain started either, or she'd have to take shelter until it let up and dried a bit. there was no way ivorypetal would be trying her luck at scaling wet shale and slick grass on steep hills today!
still, perhaps it was the humid air that had encouraged her to wander off alone instead of waiting for a patrol to get sent out. after all, she'd already gone on a dawn patrol so it wasn't likely she'd be chosen to go on another. and everyone in camp seemed too determined to be worried sick to go out and have any fun with her. she considered herself something of an excellent cheerer-upper, but even ivorypetal sometimes felt the drag of negative energy tugging at her thoughts when she got cooped up in camp with so many sad faces.
so, in spite of her better judgement, she was wandering waywardly off toward thunderclan. she wanted to see their lush forest with her own eyes, and thought that exploring the mountains a bit might soothe her rushing thoughts.
the little white cat felt the terrain changing underpaw almost too gradually to detect, but before she knew it she was beneath a canopy of dense and foreboding pines. it still smelled of skyclan markers, but the wet newleaf wind was beginning to blow the green scents of other cats her way, and she knew she must be careful here.
aspenpaw
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Post by aspenpaw on Jun 7, 2015 18:06:42 GMT -5
The dawn patrol felt like a disaster. One-eye tried to join them and in the ensuing argument Aspenpaw felt compelled to stand by her old mentor. When the elder was turned away the entire patrol had seemed put-off with her and she’d spent the rest of it lagging behind and hoping they would return to camp quickly. She did try to make a joke when Stonepaw tripped over a rock, but it fell flat and she stuck to silence after that.
No cat was all that upset, but she still felt the weight of the unpleasantness on her shoulders. It stuck with her through training and made going back to camp afterwards seem unbearable. So instead of following the younger apprentices back for fresh-kill she chose to go on a solitary hunt to clear her anxieties and to contribute something good to the Clan to make up for the friction earlier. And maybe she was avoiding One-eye. A little. Their talks were some of the highlights of her day and it felt good to spend time with him, but seeing how unhappy his confinement to camp made him solidified the knot of guilt in her chest. Some time alone was just what she needed to loosen it.
The winds and the electricity of upcoming foul weather turned her paws towards the SkyClan border: a handy obstacle that would keep her from straying too far from camp so she could beat a hasty retreat if a real downpour started. She caught a shrew almost immediately, but was disheartened to see it had already suffered a bad injury before she found it. The ginger tabby buried her easy catch and continued on. The forest was full of life as prey sought shelter from the breeze beneath the canopy of the forest. Like her, they found the sturdy trunks and deep roots of the old trees to be markers of safety. It was their bad luck that, like them, she had been raised in these forests and moved silently through them as naturally as she breathed. She caught a squirrel just before it scaled a nearby pine and was happy to feel the weight of it in her jaws. It, too, was buried for later retrieval.
When the wind brought the faint scent of SkyClan (still just barely familiar) to her attention, Aspenpaw minutely picked up her pace. Unlike the younger apprentices, who learned of SkyClan from the safety of the nursery, Aspenpaw had been one of the first ThunderClan cats to see them. She’d also been one of the lucky few to first mark the new border with them when the boundaries were decided. She spent those days listening closely to the senior warriors discuss the newcomers and eagerly took in all she could find out. Knowing that she played a part in Clan history, however small, always excited her. She’d been happy to hear Foxstar announce their Clan’s support of their new neighbors and her curiosity about them never felt sated.
Closer to the border she realized the scent didn’t come just from their markings. Wandering on the opposite side of the dividing line was a cat with white fur that stuck out several fox-lengths away. Young, but probably a warrior. She-cat. There was nothing outwardly aggressive in the stranger’s movements, but she knew some SkyClan cats could be wary of outsiders. If it were a cat from another Clan Aspenpaw would likely have chosen to turn back without acknowledgement to avoid any trouble, but SkyClan and ThunderClan were allies. Why should there be any problem? The apprentice drew herself up to appear confident and forced her paws to purposefully kick up debris and make noise. “How’s the prey running?”
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ivorypetal
SkyClan
Posts: 6
Rank: warrior
Age: 16 moons
Gender: female
Played By: doe
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Post by ivorypetal on Jun 9, 2015 0:21:08 GMT -5
part of her wanted to hunt- for the lush forest scents were accompanies by the musky odors of prey animals running rampant in the area, and the other part of her wanted to hide or scurry back to camp. what if she was caught here? what if a thunderclan cat found her hunting and accused her of theft? no one would believe a skyclan cat. and even worst, what if she found herself stalking much too close to those surprise hills and cliffs that were hidden in the landscape. simply the idea of happening upon one of those unawares sent a shiver through the little cat, and she cast her gaze skyward to dash the thought from her mind.
it was the color of a mouse's fur, and looked so heavy she thought she might suffocate. okay, that wasn't helping either. maybe a bit of hunting would settle her anxious mind after all. ivorypetal naturally slipped into a graceful crouch, her tiny frame working to her advantage in the undergrowth here. in this terrain a cat was unlikely to make obvious footfalls, but would more likely give themselves away brushing through brambles and vines that acted as curtains in the woodland.
the scents of critters that greeted her was a rush of relief; she pinpointed the location of a shrew shuffling about several tail lengths away near an interestingly shaped boulder and sidled even closer to the earth, the fur of her belly brushing the land beneath. the she-cat was upon her prey in an instant, and killed it with practiced ease. there was really no soft earth readily available for her to bury it in, so she tucked it between the exposed roots of a nearby tree after expressing silent gratitude to starclan for the catch, and also asked them politely to keep it safe in its stash until she could retrieve it- she probably would have went on with a long and winded prayer of sorts had she not heard the rustle of movement over the border and froze. she was very exposed with her bright white pelt, and her eyes widened with alarm as she remembered the risky position she was in.
well, worst case scenario she'd just give 'em the shrew and call a truce before bolting back to the supposed safety of camp. when she finally made out the form of the other cat, she relaxed. the ginger and white form couldn't have been much different in age from ivorypetal herself, and though she was upwind, she sensed that they were female and friendly as well. how's the prey running? well that certainly seemed friendly enough. ivorypetal wasn't totally sure about these thunderclan creatures yet but she didn't think this young lady was setting up an ambush or anything, so ivorypetal trotted forward with her ears pricked and tail raised skyward. "splendidly!" the skyclan warrior replied cheerily, "i haven't been up this way since we er- arrived, and it's bustling with little creatures right now!" she purred, assuming that the other cat could scent her recent kill as well. "what's your name?" she added politely as an afterthought.
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Post by aspenpaw on Jun 9, 2015 12:44:15 GMT -5
Friendly. Thank StarClan. Oddly, she wasn’t scenting any other cats on the wind and no other SkyClanners were readily approaching. It seemed they were on even terms, then. Once she was in a couple of fox-lengths of the she-cat, she could smell fresh-kill on her. She expected to smell something strange, but it almost comically familiar: shrew.
Aspenpaw tried to remember if she’d seen this cat at a Gathering, but she hadn’t been invited to go for a couple of moons and when she did go she usually stayed around some friendly apprentices from the other Clans and her own. Aside from the Gathering just after One-eye’s accident where she stayed by the tom’s side in case he needed help. He hadn’t appreciated her clinginess.
“Yeah, they love the forest. Even when prey’s scarce elsewhere we can usually find some here.” As the words left her mouth uncertainty seeped into her mind. Was that what she should say? Did it sound like ThunderClan was having trouble finding prey? Maybe she’d just told an enemy warrior where to steal territory when leaf-bare brought tough times. She was a grown cat now and should have been ready for her warrior assessment some day soon, but she still didn’t quite know how to walk the line with these cats who were in public their ally, but who could at any time turn on them.
Well, the words were said now. “I’m Aspenpaw. And you? I haven’t gotten to talk to many SkyClan cats. Are you settling in well?”
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ivorypetal
SkyClan
Posts: 6
Rank: warrior
Age: 16 moons
Gender: female
Played By: doe
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Post by ivorypetal on Jun 18, 2015 12:24:28 GMT -5
the small abalone she-cat cocked her head when her new companion edged closer, cautious but not quite cautious enough, and again ivorypetal was struck wondering exactly how old this cat was. sizing her up, the warrior would have guessed at least the same age as herself. however, the odd mix of nervousness and interest gauged the stranger's age to be quite a bit younger. how could she say, though? here she was, a full warrior, possibly wandering straight into a thunderclan deathtrap. hadn't she been warned that their teetering alliance with the other clan was never to be trusted? of course she had! but her curiosity and friendly nature would not allow her to simply ignore a new feline from an exciting new clan!
"thats good to know!" ivorypetal bobbed her head with enthusiasm at the comment- it certainly was, though being so close to the already-fuzzy border certainly made hunting here a bit of a risk, she hoped that someday soon the real borders could be figured out and peace could take hold here. maybe she would wait to tip her clanmates on the good hunting here until she felt it was a bit safer. while she had never been an entirely careful cat, she certainly wished to avoid conflict if ever possible. "it's hard for me to even imagine an abundance of prey anywhere really. my whole life i've been hungry!" she admitted with a rueful grin, and shrugged. "i know it doesn't seem like it from the way things have been, but we're really grateful." the she-cat added, meeting the other cat's eyes.
aspenpaw then was it? ivorypetal blinked with a bit of surprise, "aren't you a bit old to be an apprentice? i'm ivorypetal anyway." the warrior tittered softly, "i haven't been talking to many thunderclan cats either. we're all a bit afraid of each other still aren't we? i know i am anyway, but you don't look like the bloodthirsty type to me. meaning no offense of course!" ivorypetal giggled, flicking her tail with humor.
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Post by aspenpaw on Jun 19, 2015 21:50:47 GMT -5
Aspenpaw nodded and recalled the condition SkyClan was in when they arrived. Even the strongest warriors had been starved and tired. Though she was too young to understand it now, Aspenpaw now knew that turning those cats away would have condemned many of them to death. It was a powerful reminder that although the cat before her was a pretty face, she had also endured and survived much more than Aspenpaw could imagine in her relatively safe upbringing. “Letting SkyClan join us was the right thing to do. StarClan brought you here, right? Who are we to argue then?” She’d heard second- and third-hand accounts of their old medicine cat receiving a dream, but she’d never spoken with a SkyClan cat about what had happened.
The comment about her age stung, but the tabby tried not to show it and answered in a casual tone, “My mentor had an accident that delayed my training, but it won’t be long before I take my final assessment.” Her words became less truthful as she spoke, but she was practiced at these untruths. The truth was that she felt far, far from being a warrior. The expectations, the responsibility, she could never live up to it. She had no idea when she would be assessed, but if it was up to her it wouldn’t be anytime soon.
But that was neither here nor there. Ivorypetal, huh? Fitting, even by warrior standards. “Yeah, sorry about that. It’s a lot of change, yeah, but it’s no excuse. The cats who spend all day plotting against other Clans are the real danger to the forest, not your Clan. I mean, yeah, we have to keep ourselves safe, but there’s no reason to be at each other’s throats all the time.” Maybe if she’d been older she would understand, but Aspenpaw had lived as long beside SkyClan as she had without them and it was an easy change to accept for her. But more than the changes for the four Clans who were here before, what about SkyClan? “It must be a big change for you too. Is it a lot different here than where you lived?” Where did SkyClan come from? Were there other Clans? Amongst her wonderings Aspenpaw realized the situation she was in and ducked her head. “Sorry, I hope I’m not keeping you. You were probably busy before I bothered you.”
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ivorypetal
SkyClan
Posts: 6
Rank: warrior
Age: 16 moons
Gender: female
Played By: doe
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Post by ivorypetal on Jun 30, 2015 8:18:40 GMT -5
the younger cat's defense of skyclan truly warmed ivorypetal's heart, though she couldn't quite place a paw on why she felt so very touched by these simple words. such an uninfluential cat such an apprentice- truly the most subordinate of all- shouldn't mean much to a threatened and scared crowd of rag-tag nomads, but the small warrior beamed at this confirmation of her presence. "thanks!" she blurted, unfazed by her own lack of eloquence. "i think it was right of you all too!" the she-cat laughed at her own joke, grinning with a bright twinkle in her amber-green eyes. "i was a bit too young to remember all the details, but it was scary and i'm really glad its over so we can actually start living like normal. i never really got the chance to do that," she admitted ruefully, "i'm pretty excited to do regular stuff like patrol and go to gatherings and have kits and stuff." ivorypetal's pale ears flushed pink for a moment.
the warrior cocked her head at this next comment, reckless curiosity gleaming in her wide friendly gaze. "oh yeah? i'm really sorry to hear that. what happened? are they okay? i hope you're back at it now! you seem smart enough, you could probably take me!" she joked, snickering and hoping the apprentice didn't too much take that statement to heart.
"i agree!" ivorypetal bobbed her head enthusiastically with this, and the idea of war breaking out at all times. no one really knew the borders or the alliances, which had made clan relations seem to melt into a sticky mess upon skyclan's arrival. "i'm not wishing to see any of my clanmates' throats to be slit in the night, you know? it'll be nice to see all of this sorted out. i trust my leader to keep me safe, i hope the rest aren't a buncha hotheads." she mewed with some passion to her tone. grief was still seared fresh into her thoughts, and she didn't think skyclan could take much more of it. "change?" she tilted her head, having let her thoughts momentarily wander from her present company. "oh. yes of course! but only in some ways. family and mice never really change. where we lived we were the only clan though, so things like strict borders and gatherings and battles and stuff sound kind of.. well... exciting. and brand new!"
ivorypetal snorted in a most unladylike manner at this. "don't worry about it! if i gotta do something i wouldn't've stopped to chat in the first place. but wont someone be looking for you?" she countered, cocking a brow slightly.
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