Please review the more detailed TW summary at the top of the post.
This tag is specifically for The Colony prior to the clans forming. It can still be used for any backwritten plots!

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WE SLEEP SAFELY AT NIGHT BECAUSE ROUGH MEN STAND READY TO VISIT VIOLENCE ON THOSE WHO WOULD HARM US


Not my dogs, not my fight. He'd known it was coming, had caught sight of that mottled troublemaker going around talking to certain cats. Had watched them, one by one, slink off to the far side of camp after each conversation. He noted the way each sable supporter was given a wide-berth, dismissed as if they didn't exist where they slept.

The fight would not wait until morning– not if experience was anything to go by. And Ghost didn't intend to be around for it.

But of course, of-fuckin'-course he wouldn't make it out unsighted. That would be too much to ask. Blue eyes always seemed to be looking. Seeking something that everyone else was so keen on avoiding. So quick to overlook.

But Thunder saw him every time.

His paws halted beneath him at the shout of his name, waiting, but not turning around. He wouldn't turn around.

"You can' be leavin'. Are you gonna fight?"

"Not my war." he answered, the words clipped, almost cold. It was time to put a proper end to this. Whatever it was. Not quite friendship, yet not quite the indifference Ghost would have preferred.

And yet..

"You should get out while you can." His skull tilted just enough for dark eyes to find them, settling on blue for the last time.

He's not my responsibility.

"Good luck, pup.' Eyes forward once more, he made to disappear into the trees like the very apparition he'd been named for.

OOC- Ghost is closed to interactions, he's got stuff planned in private thread encounters :)

future thunderclanner - male - a large, grey tabby with dark amber eyes and several scars
googhost.webp

 

Currant felt Hawthorne's nudge as she was awoken from her sleep and she looked around blearily. She almost missed his whispered instructions to go hide, to stay away from the upcoming battle. Currant didn't listen, however, waiting until he was satisfied that she was leaving and hehad moved on to awaken another, then she snuck around and out of his sight. She didn't want to miss this fight, to let her home be attacked. Currant was not fully aware of the political situation they were in, but she'd seen the tension between members of the colony, the tension because Sable and Hawthorne. With Fray gone, this wasn't a complete surprise, but in was far out of proportion from her expectation.

She hadn't anticipated that the colony would face a civil war. And then war was upon them, Sable coming in to attack Hawthorne and others coming in with claws extended, fighting the first cat they reached.

Eagle! Where was Eagle? Panic lanced through her mind as she tried to locate her brother. Just as she had not gone to hide, she did not expect that her brother would. Had he been attacked? She didn't see him amongst the first to face the enemy's claws but she wasn't sure that none had snuck around behind.


  • Please let Eagle(paw) reply before interacting with her <3

    Planned murder fight with Halfy.
  • 72161340_BLpRYm7c9dc1h9z.png
 

She's still processing the fact that she's awake and following Hawthorne through the underbrush. She follows toward the back, not quite wanting to believe that Sable really meant to fight them all in the dead of night, her immediate rationality supposing that the guy really was just that paranoid. Big pawprints to fill, inheriting an unfortunate food situation, so on and so forth.

She's proven wrong pretty quickly.

A gasp, and she freezes for one, two, three, four... too many seconds. Grace. Gentle. Where are they? She thought she remembered seeing cream fur and hulking shoulders only a minute ago. When did they get separated? Had they discussed this before? Where are they? Eyes dart around the crowd, and she can hardly pick out who's who in the blurred grey of wan moonlight.

The initial shock ebbs and gives way to something more acidic, she was fucking hungry, they all were! She was hungry and she just lived here, as far as she was concerned this had nothing to do with her or her family. She finds her voice, finally, and opened her maw to call to her siblings, "Gentle-!"

A heavy thud of a body against her (one of them had gotten into the others way, Dove would not be inclined to admit that it was her fault), and the large she-cat hisses at the offending youth, "Watch it!" Dove bristles, and prepares for the other to try some dimwitted move on her in the name of Sable's honor, or something.

  • ooc: fails to find @GENTLE and @grace ,, now facing @ginger
  • ❦ crying dove- colony member, future thunderclanner - eighteen moons - she/they - younger sister of grace and gentle- a striking longhaired seal mink with low white and aqua eyes. fluffy and conventionally attractive, she somehow makes lack and prey and perpetual hardship look... chic?

    - detached and hedonistic, it seems like Dove hasn't a care in the world for any particular thing or cat beside herself. she's quick to scoff at perceived dramatics and prefers to skirt along the path of least resistance.

    - speech in "be6284" , attack in underline, penned by eezy
 

Sky blues stared at far darker- like the abyss, he thought briefly, recognizing Ghost for what he was the instant the words left his mouth- selfish. He had never been that. He's always been selfless, and giving, an open bleeding heart. And yet, Ghost had told him- not often, but once was enough from him- that he could be like that. He glanced back briefly to the fighting already beginning to break out, lips drawing back in a grimace. As he looked back, Ghost was more.. thoughtful, he thinks, in how his eyes looked into Thunder's soul.

Get out while he can? Thunder pulled his ears back, mouth opening, but was stunned into silence by that nickname. That damned nickname. Biting down on his tongue, Thunder's ears pressed backwards against his head for the last time, watching Ghost's shadow disappear into the tree line. ".. G'bye, Ghost." He uttered long after Ghost was gone, long after he could have heard him, and turned back towards the fighting.

Eyes sought for an enemy, looking back and forth- finally it caught someone who had their claws dug into a senior aged cat who was protecting a piece of food. His lips pulled back in a snarl, bounding into the fight and leaping at Wind, claws aimed to dig in and roll them both off of the senior warrior. If successful, he'd find his way to his paws and face his opponent in earnest. "Is this really wha' y' want?! Chaos? Blood, fightin', over a piece of foo'?" He snapped at Wind, his fangs flashing at @wind.

  • "speech"
    // speaking to @- Ghost - briefly, then attacking winnie! please don't attack, interactions are planned!
  • THUNDER he/him, future thunderclanner, nineteen moons.
    a sh/lh chocolate tabby with low white and stunning baby blue eyes. stands of average height with a 'mohawk' and spiky-shaped mane.
    mentored by who / mentoring no one
    whichever relations / want listed
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
    penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
 
○ ○ ○

Shasta

Many of them roused with unsteady, sleepy strength and it is only after her sleep-fuzz is disrupted with yowls does Shasta finally shake it all away. Her eyes widen as she watched them all flood from the shadows, cat upon cat, claws upon teeth. What had they come to?

"Straw!" The molly gasped as the tom was intercepted by Wolf, his heroic chance to save Hawthorne squandered by Sable's shadow. Her ears fell flat, tail lashing lowly against the ground as she tried to make sense of the violence. What side was she on in all of this, when she was a nomadic cat herself? Fray had been a friendly face she found reliable in low times, but this? A political war?

What do I do?!



"Speak" // "Thoughts"

○ ○ ○
 

His dreams are littered with what-if scenarios and misgivings, he recalls being told it wasn't going to work out and apologized to as if that would dull the ache but he takes it with a smile. He finds he often smiles lately and the gesture has lost most of its meaning as a result. Gray is not a cat who dwells, but he is a cat who longs, who wishes, who wants things with such intensity it makes him worry he is no better than his brother in his ambitions. The gray tabby can not promise he'd never act on his desires, to plead his case, but he can at least promise he would not covet and take with claws out. The duel at dawn has him anxious in more ways than he can express, it means picking a side more solidly than just watching on the outskirts, it means choosing what morals he is willing to risk and which he clings fast to like a lifeline. Thankfully, or unthankfully, he does not have to wait til morning to resolve his inner conflict...

Hells above, heavens below, if he had any sense at all he would have slept with one eye open after that altercation earlier but he had ruefully underestimated the levels his brother would go to achieve his goals. Gray is not fully asleep when the shouting starts, in that middle ground halfway doze between being lucid and unfocused but a yowl cuts through the fog of his mind like claws and he is alert instantly though not fast enough it seemed. Cats are already tangled with one another rolling on the ground, he smells copper in the air rich and thick and his throat tightens. Oh no...no no no...
His immediate concern upon gazing across the cats clashing is where is Sable and then just as quickly, a thought more powerful, where is Juniper? Gray paws urge him forward where he sees a flicker of pale fur pinning brown to the earth and he lunges at Dunny with his claws outstretched and teeth barred on impulse alone, "Get OFF HER!"
His side is chosen without much thought, much consideration, he follows the only instinct he knows and its a particular kind of devotion that was surely going to cause him nothing but pain going forward but he can't help it and he can't control it so he lets it take the reigns.


  • Ooc - Grappling with @Dunny to save @juniper | Please don't interfer as he has a planned opponent! @GECKO
  • 92332203_p5qtSSPyRMJei5R.png
    GRAY

    — Colony Cat (ThunderClan)
    — He/They
    "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
    — SH Gray Tabby with holly green eyes.
    #82847e
 
⋆˚𖣂° HAS THE MEMORY GONE, ARE YOU FEELING NUMB?
Pale rusted fur disappeared into the thick of cats. Oak's claws flex, his pelt bristling and twitching with rushing anticipation for the nights end. With the effort of Sable's followers, with himself and Swaying Willow's ferocity behind his strength, the bicolor tom would come out on top.

His hazel-eyed mate was yowling something fierce in the distance, and Towering Oak took it for a good sign she was still alive to scream and shout her support. A familiar face nearly clashed into him in the chaos of it all, and Oak nearly missed the claws meant for him. "Owl! Surely you won't throw your life away for a false king?"
  • @OWL closed for interactions!

  • founding colonist
    gnc afab [he/him]
    taken
    unfortunate fodder


 

He felt numb to the catterwahling that sprang from the two sides. He had already chosen his side. Hawthorne promised food, shelter, and warmth. Those felt like rare commodities this leafbare. Easy choice, in his opinion. Sable was kind, but kind didn't feed bellies.

The tabby darted between tussles, ignoring and dodging claws that reached for him. He had almost made it from the fray when a earthen colored body nearly bowled him over. In reaction, the tom swiped out, narrowly missing Towering Oak's nose. Owl let out a low hiss. He knew he had finally found the fight meant for him.

"You're one to talk. You truly think Sable will provide for you? Get a grip, mouse-brain," Owl spat. The wiry tom bunched his muscles and flexed his claws. He was not one for words, typically. As soon as he saw Oak's mouth open in response, Owl sprang onto him. He attempted to dig his sharp claws into the tom's shoulder.

 

Needle can feel her insides turn to slush as factions began splintering, an awful cacophony of noise and spitting and violence replacing the once collective clearing. She huddles close to Flint, near-cowering into his haunches as she watched with wide, wet eyes. She could feel her voice catch in her throat: stop, please, oh stars above please you're gonna kill somebody! Kill somebody, kill, oh she - she was gonna be sick, it was leaf-bare, there were kits on the way and she -

Something dragged her attention away from the safer visage of Flint's tawny coat, away away to @serpent . Dark-furred and (there were kits on the way!) vulnerable - she shouldn't be her (you're gonna kill somebody) why was she here? (stars above make it stop) (you're going to kill somebody) (you-

Snowy paws are moving before the mind had even decided, deciding by instinct rather than reason and she's off, heels hard in the dirt - away away away ... away from the safety of Flint's familiar scent and into the fray, into Serpent -

"MOVE! YOU HAVE TO MOVE, YOU HAVE TO -" her voice comes out in a panicked screech, too high to be reasonable and too stricken to be reasoned with and her hurts her own ears to even listen, oh stars please please please!: don't be the somebody that gets killed!

/ preplanned interaction w serpent, @Water Snake , and @Flintberry ; not open for interference
 

Juniper's pleas, her last efforts to beg Sable not go down this path, are swallowed up by the sound of yowling cats and his own blood rushing to his head as he's sent stumbling onto his back onto the cold ground with the tuxedo snarling in his face - for a brief moment he freezes, stunned, how did it come to this-the sound of several voices around him are but a dull hum of noise, buzzing like insects, he hears Straw usually so lighthearted snarl out in anger, there are kitten's crying in the distance as they are ushered away, where is his mate-where is Serpent-names are cried, accusations fly. This is not the colony his father died for, the colony he built from his very paws up from nothing - cats he had once embraced as his own kin. Hawthorne's teeth flash white as he bares them, his senses snap back and any hesitance left in his body seeps out like the blood washing over snow across their encampment. With force that even surprises himself he kicks his backlegs up and launches Sable off of him so he can rise back to stand on all fours with his head thrust upward in proud defiance, there is no more leniency, no more forgiveness left in his heart, "I'll tear your heart out you bastard!"
Nothing else exists in this moment but Sable, his blood rushes cold and then hot in his veins, his worries and his fears all spiral into his chest in a tight knot of pure rage; Hawthorne does not believe he has ever felt this way before in his life and it hurts like claws bearing down into his ribs, the pressure and the pain blinding.
The lynx point lunges, paws out and claws unsheathed to throw himself onto the other with snapping teeth, canines seeking to braid through dark fur as he presses down to find flesh to sink them into.

Ooc: Fighting @SABLE !
 


The cream toms head turned groggily as someone nudged him to wake him- go hide, they hissed, but golden eyes turned to find his sister. His head turned frantically, his paws moving quickly as the cats began to move quickly. Everything was almost too fast, howling and yowls around him.

"Sister!" His voice sounded loud as he sprang to her side, diving almost and paws sliding as he breathed heavily, ears flattened to his head. "We must move!" He nearly hissed, but not in anger, in fear. Fear for her, fear for their safety.

He didn't want to hide, but he wanted them both safe- alive.

So his head tried to push and nudge her, but someone was approaching... And he whipped his head into a snarl to the aggressor.

 
juniper

flaming pillars grind into the space between shoulder blades, keeping her firmly planted in the dirt, drawing in a ragged, dusty breath with a searing glower that slides back towards Dunny. something has to give? and hadn't Hawthorne given enough? his time, his affection, his father? and they could not suffer him a bit of time to mourn and find his stride? they thought that Sable's grandstanding would fill their bellies? evidently that's the case... as Blue slides up with a low hiss to remind her where her loyalties ought to lie. as if any of them understood the position she was placed in... to pick a brother in everything but blood.... or her mate.

Juniper hopes that they never find themselves staring down the barrel of this loaded gun, knowing that no matter which way she leans, one of those two barrels will find her.

"I trust him plenty," the spotted cat snarls, "But only when he actually makes sense." they were not some blind follower to his every whim, as short-sighted as they tended to be where Sable was concerned... this? this they wouldn't suffer to allow to continue. it was too far... he knew the moment he'd chosen this path he'd defied their wishes. disregarded every plea and gentle prod they'd pressed at him.

if he had half the honor, where ashen-winged bird soars like a taunting reminder of what could've been... would it be a choice they'd be forced to relive, with every sparing glance? the moment Gray appears he becomes like a thorned whip to wrap around the throat of her enemies- an extension of her will found in flesh, in a bleeding heart she had whetted his claws with.

she would not be stuck here to watch in abject horror. the opportunity is there... and she twists to try to unseat Dunny from her back, kicking out hind paws in a desperate attempt to make the most of her savior's reckless dive.

"I won't be made a murderer just to selfishly fill my own belly- will you?"

--

interacting with @Dunny / @Gray
mentions @Blue!
 
Grappling with the one shot at a good meal took all of Winnie's focus... Teeth bare and claws reach for flesh, it's warm unlike the chill of the winter air... the blood they pull from shallow scratches is almost tantalizing... A stomach growls in furious protest to such expended energy, not knowing it's owner to be fighting for what scraps may fill it. There's certainty that she will find success, that this'll end with a full belly just like she'd been promised- but another interjects, tossing her away from her prize to glower and lecture at her.

"What the hell else is forth fighting for?" No one here was going to forego eating for her sake... they'd always choose selfishness to survive over generosity. The colony was an idealistic idea as dead as it's founder- a pretty lie they'd all clung to when it was convenient to. "Stay out of my way," goes growled as the fur along a pale spine stands on end. A final warning being a flash of claws towards @THUNDER 's face.

"I won't starve for your sake.. and if you stop me I'll make you my prey instead!"

// closed to interaction, planned fight
 

Juniper's voice for reason would have been easy to dismiss. It's all words he's heard before, be patient they've said. Be reasonable, they've said. But he is drained of any empathy for this grand standing. It is only the sound of scuffling that his attention is drawn away from the tom beneath him. Dunny has lunged for his mate, and his eyes narrow in a wordless warning.

Don't touch her. Dunny is joined by Blue next, but they aren't outnumbered for long. The last thing he sees before being toppled is a flash of silvery fur, and all at once Hawthorne's anger finally overtakes him. Sable grit his teeth as fangs found purchase through his pelt, snarling bitterly as his body coiled like a snake. His paws reach to grapple onto Hawthorne, sinking his claws wherever his aim would find. They are desperate movements in underestimating Hawthorne's strength.

"Kill me, and then what?" He can feel the warmth of crimson pooling into his fur. "Make a martyr, and there'll be two more of me for every one you defeat."

  • "mew"
  • 85662181_DyROXBUrhtoDqES.png
    SABLE— he/him ・fifty-two moons ・colonist ; no clan ・penned by gonkpilled
    a black and white tuxedo with dark amber eyes
 
Smudge



Smudge didn't listen to Hawthorne when he told her to hide — the guillotine falls, and it rends the she-cat's psyche asunder.

"Mum…?" Her ears are ringing. The battle continues like an afterthought. Her world starts to spin as invisible claws pierce the tortoiseshell she-cat's heart, and the mind-numbing pain spreads throughout Smudge's body like a wildfire. It fills the young she-cat with an inexplicable feeling; the clearing is filled with curdled blood, but it's nothing compared to the heart-wrenching sight of Nightingale's lifeless body…

The she-cat's ebony fur is stained a bright red. Smudge darts forward, weaving between snarling cats and gnashing teeth to reach her mother's body — a frenzied plea slips past the tortoiseshell she-cat's lips. "Mum…please––!" There's a harrowing emptiness in Nightingale's eyes, and Smudge's world shatters like glass. Bile rises to the back of the she-cat's throat. "Please…get up…" There's nothing left.

Nightingale's gone.

The bitter-cold creeps into Smudge's veins, and the she-cat falls, pressing her forehead into her mother's bloody pelt.

-

OOC — Interaction with @SABLE


 
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ginger

It's strange.. the way they run out of food in their belly and how it gnaws and chews where prey should be. It hadn't thought very hard about it... paws worn against frozen ground every day in an effort to find a scrap. It had siblings to look out for... and the longer this went on that they woke up feeling weaker and weaker, the less willing to let every discomfort slide.

When he bumps against the sturdy form of a cat far more established than himself... someone who has seen far more seasons, grows comfortable in their moons of experience. There is not an ounce of sympathy in that snappish tone... and that settles it. Ginger has had enough... if this is the legacy of what Fray left behind, then it was a disgrace. They couldn't promise to keep him and his kin alive! Sable was acting... When no one else would.

"You're the clumsy oaf that ran into me!" The fur along its spine bristles, brows furrowing into a glare. His anger bubbles, popping and boiling over until his frustration cannot be held in- his teeth lurch forward to sink into Crying Dove's tail, the only retaliation he can think to act with.

// closed for interaction- biting @Crying Dove hehe
 
A S H L Y N N

_____________________

She's mostly stayed out of the conflict between Sable and Hawthorne. She doesn't want to argue with cats she's known for moons, but rousing from her sleep to Hawthorne's nudges and whispered warnings, Ashlynn realizes peace is no longer an option. If Hawthorne speaks true, and she doesn't know why he would lie, then Sable has—is—betraying them. Damn it, Sable. We're all hungry and tired, but it's not Hawthorne's fault prey hides during the colder moons! With frustration and helplessness simmering beneath her pelt, Ashlynn barely takes a moment to shake the scraps of moss out of her fur before she's off with the rest of them to intercept Sable's group.

They come upon their former allies, and the battle is on with no time for words to be exchanged or attempts to talk everyone down peacefully. Silence turns into an explosion of hissing and screeching, overwhelming the gray-and-white she-cat. She doesn't want to fight, but they're leaving her no choice. With reluctance and sheathed claws Ashlynn darts toward one of Sable's group, not entirely sure who they are in the dark. She lashes out with a forepaw, aiming to knock the other cat off their paws in the hopes she'll be able to pin them if it works.

"Don't do this! Prey won't magically jump into our claws and fill our bellies if we fight each other, can't you see that?!"
she begs, hoping she can convince her opponent to see reason and end the fight peacefully.

  • ooc — fighting @Jade, planned interaction, please don't interfere!
  • afab ; she/her
    38 moons ; ages the 11th of every month
    "speech"
    ; thoughts ; attack
    gen 1 ; daughter of npc x npc
    penned by Ian

 
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  • Knife
Reactions: Jade
⋆˚✧˖° Come On, Come On, We Can Go Away
⋆˚✧˖°
She was not entirely sure how she had lost Copper or his siblings in the chaos so quickly. Perhaps it was her inexperience around so many other cats, perhaps it was the lack of context on her part. What she did know was that she was entirely out of her depth. The overwhelming yowling all around her rang in her ears; copper assaulting her nose before coming to her senses at the realization that it was blood she was smelling.

"Copper!?" Pandora's mind told her to move but her limbs would not obey. A lone statue surrounded by fighting cats. "Copper, where are you!?"

An unsheathed paw barely missing her nose brought the molly back to the present, a hiss leaving her maw at the stranger as she backed away, preparing to run and hide.

  • ooc- Open to some minor scuffling, but afterwards pre-planned fight with @Charcoal!
  • Dewshine
    ✦—Future ThunderClan Warrior
    ✦—She/Her
    ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
    ✦—Silver She Cat W/ Orange Eyes And Dark Stripe Along Her Tail
    #8f85c2
 


Hyacinth stood beside Hawthorne, besides their family- they didn't want this fight. But around them, they fought. "No.. please," they were frantic, golden and chocolate eyes wide in fear, in concern.

I'm so hungry, I don't want to fight.

And juniper said the thoughts they held aloud, trying to quell the fighting. But there was only more and the scent of iron hit their nose, burning it. Making their stomach twist, and their heart throb.

And someone stood before them.

A look of apology, and for a split second, they thought they'd found a friend. Someone who shared the same beliefs, but she was wrong. So so wrong.

Their grey body lunged to them, taking the breath out of them as teeth dug into them. Lamely, they kicked Rat back, not going for serious damage except to try to dislodge themselves from under her. "We don't have to fight! Please!" It hurts.

@Rat.

[/fancypose]
 
  • Sad
Reactions: honeysucklecry

Serpent thinks nothing as Hawthorne shifts his weight. She mumbles her complaints, her claws reaching for where his warmth once lasted, but her comfort is not yet abandoned. His nose taps her ear, a breath of love between them before he leaves their den - and then chaos, chaos.

She lifts her head first at his shouting. The molly feels as if she's still asleep, mind fogged with discontented surprise. Her lips part with a black trimmed yawn, her teeth clicking back together as she tries to make sense of the commotion. She stands - an effort no longer easy due to her round belly - and preys on the entranceway of their den. Many cats, groggy and fearful, rally around her mate. They chatter and tremor with the news (what news?) and Serpent narrows her eyes, but she remains put. As she looks around, she notes how many faces she doesn't see.

The chaos continues, somehow exploding further. Before her mind can catch up with the crowd, Sable leads his band of rebels into the heart of their camp. He brandishes his weight and claws against her lover, and Juniper - soft, sweet, gentle Juniper - tries to command him out of whatever fugue state he's let cloud his mind. Serpent finds a hiss lodged in her throat, her teeth again clicking together, "Cut it out!" she shouts, no diplomatic tone to be had in her fatigue. She ambles forth, out of the safety of her den (whilst kittens and other expecting mothers rush in behind her.) "What use is this? You can't -"

Her voice is lost to the battle. She watches as Juniper is forced to grapple with Dunny, how Gray goes to save her from fending off two foul-tongued evils. Hawthorne looks for her all before earning another swipe, and she flinches - the words that leave her now are incomprehensible, and her paws rock her forward, pressing her into the fray. Serpent has a foolish belief that brandishes itself in her sparks of fear and terror - that her position as a mother-to-be would render her off limits.

Shouting sounds from somewhere around her, and she notices moments to late that she is not exempt from the chaos.

[ planned interaction w @Water Snake , @Needle , and @Flintberry - will be going to a pt for the rest of the battle :] ]