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Post by DAWNSTAR on May 22, 2014 22:58:37 GMT
215 words - open - hop on in!
The small calico molly walked through her territory with her head and tail held high. Scents of Newleaf were dancing on the air. Bird, rabbits, flowers, grass. Everything was coming back to life. The springy moorland grass under her paws was dark green, the streams through the territory ran deep and fresh. Everything was seemingly perfect. Yes, it even seemed as though the leader didn't have a care in the world. But this was a false statement. On the inside, Dawnstar's stomach was churning violently. She had not been able to locate the kits that had went missing, none of the Clans had, and she dreaded to see what ShadowClan would demand in repayment.
The leader bounded effortlessly up on the rock known as Outlook Rock. She could see her entire territory from here. She could see the evening patrol checking the borders, and a cat racing after a rabbit. Yes, things seemed to be normal in WindClan, but not if you asked the queens. They were guarding their kits so fiercely that even the medicine cat had a hard time coming to visit them. They didn't want to know the pain of the mother whose kits had vanished.
Dawnstar sighed softly and wrapped her long tail around her paws, content to watch her territory for awhile.
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Post by GORSEGAZE on May 23, 2014 20:00:50 GMT
you and i will be safe and s o u n d
I am tagging DAWNSTAR, for this thread. the following post has about; 0000 words and I should mention the following.
gods it's so short ;-; I apologize profoundly. my next post shall be longer ^.^
they say that with the sun always burned the brightest on the moorlands - and for the young tom, he could not agree more. the faint traces of what was once covered in snow was left only aware by the fact that the ground was still hard from the frost and that the ground was muddy in patches of the moors. the feline - a young tom of about twenty some moons, was crouched in the long grass, green eyes forced on the sounds ahead of him. the chewing of a grass blade between a rabbit's teeth was loud and forbidden in his ears - as were the sounds of the field mice squeaking in delight over being reunited with their families from afar. it was peaceful, beautiful - almost breath-taking in the late new-leaf morning. but this mission wasn't solely for the purpose of the clan - no the young male wanted to help the suffering queens who had lost her kittens on night. terrible thing really. he thought softly, eyes closing as his breath drew in slow and steady. with paws prowling forward the young male gave way to the rabbit ahead of him -the squeals of the field mice alerting not only their relatives, but the animals around them. the rabbit was off, almost as soon as the male located it.
mousedung. he thought to himself as his paws gave way to the chase. with a steady beat of paws against the ground, the young male began to catch up to the young hare. almost there! his mind roared happily and with a last pounce he tackled the rabbit with easy, killing it with a well aimed bite to it's throat and as he came to a rolling halt, he stared down at the prey dropped before him. with a small and gentle smile, the young tom looked up from where he sat, eyes glancing around the flat lands before he spotted the distant image of a feline upon the outlook rocks. who is that? he thought slowly, and with his prey in mouth, the young feline made his way towards the outlook rock. with each step he moved his way the long way around - paws carrying him and catch until finally he stood a few cat tales from the pale calico she-cat. it's the leader! his mind whispered and with a dip of his head, the young tom looked up at the leader and offered a shy smile. "greetings dawnstar."
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Post by DAWNSTAR on May 23, 2014 20:20:25 GMT
A flurry of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned her head to watch, her ears perked. The figures were a good distance away, so she had no idea who the cat was, but she knew from his stalking techniques that he was, indeed, a WindClanner. She watched as he shot across the moor, hot on the trail of a rabbit. His long legs and lean form allowed him to move much more quickly than a cat from another Clan. Within seconds, though it probably felt longer to him, he had pounced on the rabbit and killed it. She purred happily. Even from here she could tell it was a good sized rabbit, her Clan would eat well tonight if every cat did as well as him. Before she knew it, however, his gaze was rested on her. She hadn't really been expecting any company on the rock, but the other cat was already heading toward her, dragging his kill along with him. She smiled softly and turned her attention back to the rest of the territory as she waited for him to arrive.
It did not take him long. Within a few minutes, his scent was all around her, muddled with the scent of fresh rabbit. Her mouth watered, but she would not be partaking in the rabbit. She would catch her own meal later, she hated not contributing. She smiled warmly at him as he gave her a nervous greeting. Gorsegaze. She had been the deputy when he and his sister had been named as warriors. She felt old, as the thought of when he and his sister were born, and how she had actually wanted one of them for her apprentice. But some things weren't meant to pass. "Hello, Gorsegaze." She greeted, with a very small dip of her head. "That was a very nice kill, young warrior. You serve your Clan well." Dawnstar was known for being a kind leader, but she never gave out compliments where they weren't deserved.
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Post by GORSEGAZE on May 23, 2014 21:21:48 GMT
you and i will be safe and s o u n d
I am tagging DAWNSTAR, for this thread. the following post has about; 0427 words and I should mention the following.
eek okay so heres to me finally getting the hang of his personality. lol.
he had come into the scene with ease, his ears flatten in a submissive approach as one would when they approach his leader. he could remember the move from where he had caught the rabbit - he could see it from here in fact, and he had a small sort of embarrassment flush over him as his green eyes fluttered from the spot - where his chase had come to a close to the cat he had spotted on the ridge. she was a pale calico, her fur like most windclan cats, and yet it was her size that was so very different - smaller, were as he was of average height for a male windclan cat. hello gorsegaze. came the meow followed by a dib of the leader's head, and the young tom offered a quick response to her greeting by dibbing his head as well. that timid smile crossing his face as he heard her speak once more to him. that was a very nice kill, young warrior. you serve your clan well. he offered a more reassuring smile this time as he nodded his head in thanks. he was not much of a fighter - that was known, but it was in his hunting that he shone the brightest.
"it's just one rabbit... b-but thank you." he meowed with a hushed tone, his ears erect and alert as his eyes raised from the surrounding moor land to those of his leader. I did some good today. good. he thought and with gentle white paws prodding the earth below paw the younger warrior - nearly twenty moons younger then the leader herself, laid his tail around his paws gently, mouth parted in a silent motion to speak before he snapped those jaws of his shut once more. swallowing he pondered what he had wanted to ask his leader just now. there were times when gorsegaze had thought he was a burden to his clan - to his family and to those of the forest themselves. he wasn't useful - all he did was screw up when it came to certain aspects of his life; but then again - looking out over the moors, a soft smile graced his face. "do you wanna join me, dawnstar?" he asked quietly, his voice gentle and soft against the air around them. his eyes were no longer on his leader, or fluttering around, but forced on the small dib in the ground below the ridge.
"of course, only if you're not to busy." he meowed as an after thought.
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Post by DAWNSTAR on May 23, 2014 22:00:36 GMT
The young tom was nervous, timid, and uncertain. These were emotions that were unfamiliar to the older molly. She had always been certain of herself, always certain of her place. Ever since she had been an apprentice, she had known that her place was at the head of her Clan. She had ignored everything else in life working hard to get to that place. Now she somewhat regretted it. She was happy as leader, she loved it, but she regretted pushing every cat away so much. She was even distant with her own siblings, whom she used to be close with. She also sometimes wished that she had a tom to share her den with, but it wasn't too late for that. Perhaps she seemed old to the young tom in front of her, but really she was only reaching the middle part of her life. She was young for a leader. Finally the tom spoke, his tones lows, matching his submissive posture perfectly. She smiled reassuringly. "What a silly thing to say," she chided softly, "If every cat makes such a catch today, the Clan will have enough for the rest of the day and for breakfast in the morning." Though Dawnstar had always been a confident cat, she was no stranger to comforting the other cats in her Clan.
They sat in silence for awhile before the patched tom made his offer. Her ears pricked in surprise. It was not every day that she was invited on a patrol, instead of the other way around. She turned her gaze from him momentarily, allowing it to sweep over the territory. Everything was peaceful right now, she didn't believe there would be any attacks today. She turned back toward him with a smile. "I would love to join you." She said, rising to her feet and stretching. She had to look up at the other warrior when she jumped off the rock and was level with him, but it was something she was used to. Cats had made the mistake of thinking her size made her weak before, it was a mistake she never allowed them to repeat. She grabbed the rabbit by the scruff and drug it under one of the outcroppings of rock. "We will return for him. It has been awhile since I've been on a two-cat patrol." She smiled, but she did not take the lead. She decided to let Gorsegaze lead the patrol. It was his idea, after all.
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Post by GORSEGAZE on May 23, 2014 23:01:36 GMT
I am tagging DAWNSTAR, for this thread. the following post has about; 0000 words and I should mention the following.
there was a moment of silence for him as he told her that it was simply one rabbit, nothing more then a meal for one or two cats at most. he had never been to comfortable in his skin - but to know that he had at least helped another in the aspect that he had gotten the meal for someone he lifted his head in an uneasy pride. something he wasn't used to feeling but happy to feel it for now. what a silly thing to say. he heard his leader speak, and with his ears flat against his head in defeat he nodded softly. green eyes watching his leader with a gentle sway of his tail behind him now. if every cat makes such a catch today, the clan will have enough for the rest f the day and for breakfast in the morning. ears lifted up now as he offered another smile to his leader before tucking his tail back around his paws. there was no time to disagree with his leader when she seemed so strongly to point out she had done something right.
when he had asked her to join him - no not asked - offered, he had expected a polite decline of his offer - something some of his clan mates would do. I would love to join you. her meow came and for a moment his green eyes shifted back to stare at his leader's face with a overwhelming disbelieve, but hope and excitement. his ears peeked up with excitement as she leap down to his level and he bowed his head once more before the soft bubble of excitement rose to his paws, a kneading type of action happening with his paws as he rose to all fours and grinned. when the leader grabbed his rabbit, he paused for only a moment burying those instincts that said to defend the prey that he had caught for his clan. but with his eyes flickering from rabbit to cat - he calmed those instincts before smiling again. we will return for him. it has been awhile since I've been on a two-cat patrol. the older she-cat meowed to him and for a moment gorsegaze paused and waited for her to lead.
but then it became apparent she was not going to take charge and the younger tom bundled himself up inside before he began out. his paws unsure at first, clumsy before slowly the air around him became clear, his head lifted up and his eyes widen with the inner instinct to hunt and be free. the nervousness seemed to melt away as his head lifted into the sky and for only a moment he froze in his position; legs parting slightly as he took a statue like stance, eyes wide before his head snapped to the left. "rabbit." he meowed gently, before his ears flickered to the right, "field mice." he meowed softly; though the noises were distant and hardly loud enough to be any prey that was unaware of it's predators there. turning to look over at his leader with a timid smile, he nodded to her. "your pick on what you choose to go after, dawnstar." he was nervous still, when speaking to his leader as such - but his determination and ambitious was clear.
he was going to catch one of these creatures and bring more prey to his clanmates.
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Post by DAWNSTAR on May 24, 2014 21:12:12 GMT
It took a little while for the young tom realize that she wanted him to take the lead, but she merely waited with a small smile on her maw. She understood his hesitance. She was the leader, so she pulled rank over everyone. She could join any patrol, and no matter what cat was leading it, they would instantly look at her uncertainly. "Am I still allowed to lead?" Most of the time, she allowed them to. She liked to see the other cats' leading skills and abilities. Some cats weren't meant to be put in charge, either because they were too headstrong or too timid, and she liked to know what cats those were from personal experience. Gorsegaze was a timid cat, but she felt like if she could boost his confidence, in a couple of years he could be a wise and trusted adviser. Arrogance was her fatal flaw, but it was a flaw that he did not have. He would question his plan before he lead cats into battle, whereas she would not.
Finally, Gorsegaze got over his hesitation and took off at an uncertain walk in what she assumed was a random direction. She did not comment, but merely fell into step behind the warrior. She kept her eyes open, looking in all directions for any sign of a threat. She sniffed the air occasionally, finding nothing on it but the scents of her Clan and prey. But she waited. She waited for Gorsegaze to decide where and what they would hunt. Right when the scent of rabbit and mice seemed to smack her in the face, the young tom stopped and lifted his head up, scenting the air. She waited patiently as he pointed out the scents, feeling like a mentor once again. She wouldn't mind having a young apprentice to mold.
When he spoke, he told her to decide which she wanted to go after. If she was leading the patrol, she would not have given the other cats that decision, but she knew he was very hesitant about bossing her around. "I shall get the rabbit, it has been much too long since I've had a proper run." With that, she stepped around him, allowing her tail to run gently down his side. She raised her nose in the air, opening her mouth and following the scent of rabbit away from the tom. She lowered herself into a hunters crouch when the rabbit came into view, her hips swaying back and forth anxiously.
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Post by GORSEGAZE on May 24, 2014 22:11:33 GMT
I am tagging DAWNSTAR, for this thread. the following post has about; 0639 words and I should mention the following.
I shall get the rabbit, it has been much too long since I've had a proper run. her voice drifted to him, but he remained with his head casted to the other side, listening as the mice squeaked their merry tunes. he could picture the pride swelling in his chest when he took out the small cluster of mice, how they would no longer breath, but provide life for his clan. each mouse would fill a cat for a night at last and if he could catch them all he knew his clan would prosper. but that was not the only thing on his mind as he stood there. he felt, more then watched as his leader moved around him - her grace something he did not own personally own - watched as her trail ran along his side, sending a shot down his back, like lightning until every part of his body felt it. chills ran down his spin as he watched the older feline move away from him and into the grass, her body becoming invisible to his eye.
with paws as gentle as could be, the younger feline crouched in the spot he had been standing, ears flicking away small buzzing flies as they floated through the sky. I will catch two mice to prove my worth. his mind buzzed with excitement, teeth flashing as he drew forward, each paw step placed as carefully and calmly before him. the grass swallowed him slowly, ginger fur blending into the red-ish brown grass that was still awakening from it's long slumber. it was with each step, as grass blades brushed across his sides, tickled his underbelly and crunched under his gentle paws that he paused; jaws parting as he drank in the scent of the territory once more. he could smell dawnstar more now - for she was just beyond him and he was more aware of her scent now - as well as a rabbit and the mice before him.
it was here, that the young tom licked his lips; tongue rasping against fur as he forced then. it's now or never. he thought and with his eyes forced on the small movements just beyond him, he knew there was a small cluster of mice. it's impossible to nab them all.. perhaps I can get two. he thought, whiskers twitching in a slight nervous way as he watched one mouse stop it's happy scurrying to turn it's beady black eyes on him. time almost froze for the young tom as he held his breath, green eyes watching from between grass blades as the mouse stared up at him. it reminded him of all those years ago during a training session where his mentor would have him practice holding still. be as still as a tree gorsepaw - and they will think you are just that. and with each blink of the mouse's black eyes, gorsegaze felt his lung begin their scream for air.
finally the mouse turned away, whiskers twitching at it's partner when gorsegaze pounced. he had lowered himself in such a manner that his spring brought him crashing down onto the first mouse who had spotted him, where as his other paw hitched it's claw into the second mouse. the screaming of the mouse was clear in those moments. it's alarm growing as it yanked it's body free of the claw and took off into the grass. fox dung! he hissed as he removed himself from the other mouse to give chase to the clearly living one. as he ran, his paws easily helping him to catch up to the bleeding mouse, he drove for the killing blow; teeth snapping the mouse's neck with ease now - but the cries of the other mice were still heard, loud and frighten as they sent their warnings.
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Post by DAWNSTAR on May 24, 2014 22:35:20 GMT
The other cat was pushed to the back of her mind, she was barely aware of him. The only things that existed in the world to her right now were herself and the rabbit that grazed in front of her. The wind was on her side, blowing the rabbit's scent toward her face, and her own scent away from the rabbit. It would not be alerted to her presence by smelling her. The rabbit was young, not nearly as big as the one that Gorsegaze had caught, but that would make it even faster. Her tongue slid out from behind her teeth, licking her jaws in anticipation. Hunting had always been her favorite activity. Her speed matched against the speed of an animal that was made to outrun her. She rolled her shoulders, bringing herself closer and closer to the rabbit, step by careful step. She knew the rabbit would soon sense her, the way a cat could sense a hawk staring at her kits, or an enemy hiding in the bushes. She kept her yellow eyes trained on the rabbit's hindquarters, watching for the tensing of muscles that would indicate it was about to take off.
She was maybe three micelength away from it when the tell-tale muscle clench happened. The rabbit didn't need to look back at her to know that it needed to run. She shot into a sprint even before the rabbit, its own flight hastened by the sound of mice screaming in the background. But Dawnstar was fast, easily as fast as this rabbit. She allowed her legs to stretch out to their full length with every stride, streaking across the territory like a gray blur. When she was close enough, she pounced. Her pounce was too high, though, and she merely sent the rabbit rolling. She dug her claws into the hard earth below her, grunting as she felt the strain on them. She whipped around, tackling the rabbit before it could collect itself and take off again. She ended its life quickly, sending thanks up to StarClan for the catch and the hunt.
She sat back on her haunches, her sides heaving from her run with the rabbit. Her eyes glowed with pleasure, though. There was nothing Dawnstar loved more than an excellent chase.
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