Early birds [open]

[Deleted]

It was a white rabbit, beautiful and pure in colour, blending in with its surroundings. A unique beast, shuffling in the snow, pink nose vibrating with the cold, frigid winds. The perfect prey. A perfect offering to his most beloved clan.

He, warrior, leader, stalked towards this creature, rocking upon his haunches as intent took his mind from his environment. The biting cold. The blinding snow. All that mattered was that rabbit. A serpentine coil curled behind his frame, balancing out muscular shoulders. Foot steps silent, cushioned on leather pads and alabaster powder. Closer he drew, whiskers fanning in anticipation. Kneading the earth, dropping his front close to the earth, he sprung from his pedestal, throwing his weight upon the unsuspecting prey, thorn like claws hooking into pristine fur, painting once untouched canvas red.

But then… the world went red, the blood of his kill pooling in unnatural quantities, staining grass and stone, water and sky. Horrified, he reeled back in shock, his ears flattening as a rumbling hiss escaped his broad chest. What was this? He backed up in, bristling at the pungent scent of iron, the hot humid air heavy with the scent of death. His hind legs struck a rock, and Bengalstorm twisted around, catching his weight on smooth ground, turning his head to examine what lay in his path.

It was a fallen cat. A warrior. A skyclan. ”No,” he whispered, lowering his head to sniff at the dampened fur. Flowerleg. No again.

~

A gasp of breathe rippled through the chilled air as his eyes jolted open, muscles and spine tense from the rapidly retreating dream he even now was trying desperately to catch. That dream again. It was a constant in his nighttime visits these days. Ever since the move.

The leader rose from his slumbering bed, padding silently around the dozing bodies of his fellow clan mates, lowering his head to buffer off the harsh winds coming in from the east. How it hurt him so. To see them like this. To see his family without permanent home to rest head at night. A home to protect them from the harms of the world. These cats were good. They didn’t deserve such a fate. Homelessness.

But Skyclan would endure. They would reach the lands of the other clans. It was the only place they could go. They would get there together and find a new beginning. He would make sure. Flicking his tail in resolution, Bengalstorm, stepped out into the open moor, planning an early hunt to help feed the vulnerables. The remaining elders were taking the journey rather hard, even though they had only just begun. But then, most were.

The air held that sweet promise of an abundant kill this morn. The moor, though no place for a clan to set down roots, did possess a rich supple of field rodents; voles, mice, the occasional groundhog. Maybe one of his clan mates would feel adventurous enough to try tackling the vicious tunnel dwelling beasts later. But at the moment, quantity was on his mind. They needed the meat. Peeking over his shoulder, looking for any sign of those early risers, though finding none, except for the few warriors that remained on guard, he turned back to the fields, lowering his crown so that he may slide unnoticed into the tall grass.

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OOC: Still fleshing him out. Hope you can bare with me while I do so >,<

[Raggedfur]

In Raggedfur's dreams, she could see. The world was a lovely, beautiful place with eyesight. In her waking days, the young warrior always felt utterly alone and cold. But if she wasn't blind... Raggedfur looked up at the tall trees, their branches swaying gently in the cool greenleaf breeze. Their leaves blocked out the sun with a bright green color, but the black-and-white she-cat still felt content. Suddenly, the ache to hunt pricked her paws. It would probably be a lot harder to hunt when she could see just because it was something she wasn't used to doing. But, unaware of her dream-state, Raggedfur knew that she needed to hunt for her Clan. That was the only thing that mattered. She found a powerful oak that cut through the sky like a talon, and decided that it would be the perfect tree. Hooking her claws into the rough bark, Raggedfur climbed upwards. Her paws scaled the tree swiftly, confidence bursting through her skin. She reached a large branch growing perpendicular to the ground about halfway up that she decided to lay in wait on. Then she listened to the forest life around her, trying to pick something up that she could hunt. A shrill call of a crow pierced her ears- it was nearby. Just as quickly as it came, she saw the large black bird fly near her from a nearby tree. It stopped a few taillengths from her, unaware of her presence due to her silence. Flattening her ears as to not disturb the leaves above her head, Raggedfur crept forward. The bird was right in front of her... the warrior pounced, launching her powerful haunches forward. Her claws met the bird, and she brought her teeth toward it's neck to deliver the killing bite. It fell limp in her jaws, blood seeping into her mouth. Triumphant, Raggedfur turned and carefully picked her way down the tree, the bird stuffed in her mouth. Black feathers floated down onto the grass below. When she reached far enough to jump down without getting hurt, Raggedfur unhooked herself from the bark and fell the rest of the way. Now what? she thought. Quickly burying the crow in the foliage, Raggedfur pricked her ears for the sounds of more birds. But she decided that she would hunt on the ground now, and slunk forward, belly low. Suddenly, she heard the ferns rustling in front of her. She picked up the scent of another cat, but it was one that she didn't recognize. Just as she was about to call out, her vision turned black.

She'd woken up. With a dramatic, long sigh, Raggedfur laid in her make-shift nest for a few moments. The gentle sound of snores greeted her ears. Only the sound of hushed voices broke through the snoring- a couple other warriors were up at this time, too. She couldn't hear exactly what they were saying- gossiping, probably, those lazy bird-brains. They could be out hunting for the hungry Clan, but instead, they chose to talk to one another? She could tell that it was early morning because she couldn't feel the slight warmth of the leaf-bare sun. Instinctively, Raggedfur pointed her muzzle in the air, nose twitching. Everyone in her Clan was here... but where was Bengalstorm? Grunting as she stood up on her tender paws, Raggedfur thought back angrily to her dream. How could anyone be unhappy, as long as they could see? Some of the cats were complaining about their journey already- most of them powerful, young warriors. The elders aren't being as cantankerous as them. Stretching her tired body, Raggedfur decided that she would search for their leader. She quickly found his scent among the cluster of others. It was still very fresh, as if he had just left. Why did he leave so early? she wondered. Perhaps he actually had sense and decided to hunt. That makes just two of us, she thought, her head swinging over to look at the warriors, even though she couldn't actually see them.

She followed his scent trail, long white legs quickening to a brisk run. The harsh breeze and grass underpaw suggested that they were in the middle of a moorland. WindClan. She'd heard this name be spoken by the elders a couple times, especially recently- it felt awkward to her. SkyClan was the only Clan that she knew. The only reason why she may care about the other four was because they would help them. Hopefully. How could they turn them away, though? Unless they were awfully cruel.

Bengalstorm's scent got stronger and stronger, until she sensed that he was right in front of her. She padded up to him, paws as quiet as smoke. "Bengalstorm? Are you hunting?" she whispered. Crouching next to her leader, the scent of vole, rabbit, and squirrel rushed up to greet her. The black-and-white she-cat wondered how good she would be at hunting in the hills. She didn't have the leaves or bushes to help her to know where prey was running or hiding. Maybe she shouldn't have chose to hunt with the leader, if he was hunting at all. She didn't want to embarrass herself, especially since she was supposed to be one of the best hunters in the Clan. "I'll hunt with you, if you want the company." She wondered what was going through his mind. Didn't he realize that he could die on their journey? He didn't even have the full nine lives of a leader. Would the Clans allow him to get them there? Even though they didn't speak much in their early moons, Raggedfur felt respect toward the young leader. It took courage to stand up to their previous leader and move an entire Clan.

Words: 962 | OOC: -

 

[Silverfrost]

Leaf-bare was in full swing. Perhaps SkyClan had left at a poor time, but then again, perhaps there was no choice: the rats were invading, SkyClan lost twenty of their best warriors, and looking to lose more. The warrior supported her brother; he deposed Rollingstar, now called Rollingstone as he was in his youth though he is confined to staying with the elders, a backwards leader tangled in tradition. Silverfrost had known before the decision was made that something of the sort needed to happen. SkyClan was losing food, losing cats, losing territory, and it would not have been long until there was nothing left. It was good to leave. No, Silverfrost was not simply justifying the choice to herself, trying to convince herself that it was the right thing. She was not doing that. She was, she was... well, maybe a little bit. Every so often, doubt would creep in and chill her heart, but she would just shake herself and it would fly off in the wind.

Through the latter part of the night, Silverfrost was one of the cats on guard. It was her job to see her shivering, trembling, thinning Clanmates grasp at sleep in the snow. It was her job to take the buffeting winds in stride and remain still and vigilant. It was her job to protect her Clan in its slumber, and she would do exactly that. For the most part, she was kept awake by the fierce cold and biting winds, as well as a powerful concern for the well-being of her Clanmates. They looked so fragile, so weak, so small, and Silverfrost felt much the same way about herself, her inability to save them all from this horrid journey. She would have gone first, to find new territory, or find the other four Clans of old, but there was no waiting for SkyClan. It was leave or die, and many of them saw it. There were not many complaints worth mentioning, but Silverfrost predicted that there would be many more as the journey wore on and cats died and grew hungry and ill and tired, tired beyond caring for life. Silverfrost herself had reached that point once and was happy to be able to claim she had left it far behind.

As dawn was whispering it might break, and the sun teasing her with its tiniest lights, Silverfrost noticed a cat rise from the snow, shivering as though from a terrible dream. It was Bengalstorm, her brother, now the leader. Of course, he didn't have his nine lives yet, so she would always request that he be extra careful, but he was still their leader. And he was... walking out of the makeshift camp? Silverfrost flicked her tail in frustrated curiosity; he had peered around at the cats and then made his way out. It was the middle of leaf-bare and not even the full morn, and gone was he into the wilderness, most likely to hunt to feed the Clan, but still all alone. She should go with him, to make sure he was safe, to make sure the mouse-brain didn't end up dead or hurt or lost. The Clan couldn't handle that, she was certain, not so soon after leaving. They would just rush back to the gorge and die at the fangs and diseases of the rats.

Silverfrost did not disobey her orders, however, and leave her shift. Soon after Bengalstorm left, Silverfrost witnessed Raggedfur rise and sniff about. Sometimes, Silverfrost wondered how Bengalstorm and the blind she-cat would do together. In many ways, she saw them as compatible, but it seemed that neither one ever thought that way themselves. Raggedfur rushed after Bengalstorm, too far away and too quick for Silverfrost to pursue and bring back, or prevent from leaving. Good job, Silverfrost. Nice guarding, she thought sardonically, internally rolling her eyes at herself.

As soon as her replacement showed up, Silverfrost leapt to her paws and darted after her brother and the blind warrior. Raggedfur was able to handle herself well enough, Silverfrost supposed, which was how she was able to be a warrior instead of an elder or medicine cat or whatever else blind cats did in the Clans, but Silverfrost did not trust her enough in such weather, nor on such a journey, nor in unknown lands. She could easily harm herself if she did not know where she was going, and while these moors were fairly safe terrain-wise in general, one could never be too careful. Silverfrost's powerful hind legs propelled her onward, her thicker leaf-bare pelt blocking a portion of the aggressive winds battering her, her color-changing eyes squinted in the relative darkness of the dawn.

In a short time, Silverfrost spotted her brother and the blind she-cat, and spurred herself forward for a final bursting sprint. These silly fools, wandering when the sky seemed on the brink of letting loose a blizzard, while the Clan was just starting to wake up, only to find that their leader was missing. Sometimes he could be so mouse-brained, even if he only had the best intentions and the greatest heart Silverfrost had ever encountered. Truly, he was the right leader for the Clan; he just needed to be there. Silverfrost skidded to a halt, kicking up some snow.

"What do you two think you're doing?" she meowed, catching her breath. "You should be back with the rest of the Clan; the hunting patrols will be sent out soon, and then we'll have to keep moving. I don't trust this weather, nor this land. Of course, if you're doing something else out here, I can leave, if you'd like." Yes, her words were somewhat chastising, but she kept her tone more lighthearted and gentle. Silverfrost wasn't one to chew out another cat or to lecture or go on and on. In fact, she ended her tiniest little speech with a teasing joke, a mischievous twinkle in her eye that quickly was blown out by a fierce gust. Leaf-bare could be terrible, and this land was not a place fit for housing cats in this sort of weather.

Words:

1,021 (I didn't mean for it to get so long >_>)

Tag:

Bengalstorm, Raggedfur; OP-EN

Notes:

I hope it's okay that I joined ^^

Credits:

Rabiddog

[Deleted]

Translucent waves of alabaster light danced among the viridian strands he strides through, cushioning his ebony pads as experienced eyes scanned the maze. Soft etchings upon the earth scrapped through his ear fur, the grainy, dry sand sliding in to fill the gaps left by each paw step. Glancing at the motion to his left, whiskers trembling, the leader released a silent purr, dropping into a crouch, creeping forward slowly.

Hunger was a constant for his clan these last moons. First the unendless rains, chasing out the prey from their dens, abandoning the gorge for higher ground. Then came the rats, filthy creatures that they were, filling the animals and earth with toxic disease. Many had died from the microbe, wasting away to skin and bone, no amount of food putting meat on their frames. Fine warriors. Mother and children. Fathers and sons. So much lose. A pained expression curled his lip, eyes sliding shut at the unsetting thought. No. Don’t lose yourself in the past Bengalstorm. You can’t do anything for them, only the ones still amongst the five clans. Starclan was beyond his reach.

Flicking his ears, rocking from one side to the next, the tom crept closer, peering through the grass curtain, seeking out his prey. A rabbit. Grinning, his teeth flashing behind his black lips, Bengalstorm flexed his spine, preparing to lunge forward, only to pause at the scent of another cat near by. Raggedfur. Taking a glance at his prey one last time, he slid silently backwards, hoping to leave the rodent for after the coming conversation. Ivory eyes greeted him at the pivot, and once more he found himself wondering what her world was like.

Every colour and light arose from darkness. It kissed at the very conscious of their world, smudging edges and fine details. A world of darkness. What would that be like? To spend ones life with eyes open, yet seeing nothing. He purred softly in greeting, heading over towards her, his paw steps silent against the soil. To his ears at least. He knew her hearing was something special, proof evident in their younger years. ”Good morning Raggedfur. Yes I was just about to beginning. And the more paws the better.” If only they had more paws. The vulnerable outnumbered the warriors now, a fact that effected their efficient to provide. No sooner then the pile was stocked did it dwindle down to near nothing, bearing lining their bellies.

Coming to stand at her side for a moment, a silent greeting between friends, Bengastorm flexed his haunches, preparing to leap back into the brush. Yet no sooner had he stepped forward then the call of yet another familiar voice greet him. His darling sister. Not sounding so pleased. Plastering on a grin, he turned to look over his shoulder, flicking his tail in barely there irritation at her tone. Seems she wasn’t so pleased he had gone off. ”The sooner we gather food the sooner we can move. And the sooner we can get to where we are going.” He meowed in a swift manner, straight and too the point. It was a fact of life for the skyclan at the moment. They couldn’t afford to spare able paws.

He knew that as leader his presence was important. For morale. For hope. But if they feared he was going to run, they would need to learn that he was there for their protection. Everything he did was for them. Even this blasted journey. Moving forward, he purred in deafening greeting, licking her ear in affection. ”Come now sister. Help us get some food then so we can get back to them with something at least.” He felt his skin heat at her implication, tossing glancing over his shoulder.