Border WC Dust Bowl Dance ✪

[Dustystar Dustystar]

✪ Align my Heart, my Body, my Mind​

indentThe moor is far too quiet. The silence is in stark contrast to the storm in Dustystar's mind. Although she walks forward through the gentle snow without pause, her instincts tell her to turn back with every step.

indent"You're going to get cats killed!"

indent"Wounds are still fresh..."

indent"All this will do is put a bigger target on us!"

indentShe'd known the announcement would be unpopular, but she'd expected at least a bit more support. Instead, insults and accusations had been thrown. The cats she most respected were the most biting in their response. Even young Talonpaw, who had seemed to agree with her reasoning, had changed his mind, cowered away.

indent"This is all for them. Why can't they see it?" The thought only drives her forward. If they refuse to understand, then Dustystar will make them see. When they returned with enough prey to fill every cat's belly, and when Skyclan cats no longer traipse on their territory so carelessly, they'll understand her.

indent"Keep your wits about you." She mews to the cats following her pawsteps through the dusting of snow. "At the first sight of trouble, leave. We aren't here to fight." No matter how badly Dustystar wanted to feel the warmth of Molewhisker's killer under her claws. This is a practical patrol, not set out by anger and revenge.

indentWhen the gorge comes into view, Dustystar slows to a crawl, motioning for her patrol to follow suit. She pauses at the twoleg bridge, the border between what was theirs and what wasn't. With quiet paws, she crosses over, holding her breath as if the cats of the forest could hear her even from this distance. Silver fur flattens back against her back once her paws hit soil on the other side of the bridge.

indent"Stay quiet. Keep an eye on the treeline." Her tone is hushed, and she speaks in as few words as possible. It's only once she's sure her party has understood her that she turns away, surveying the land before her. Dustystar's instincts were right - the warriors of Skyclan aren't as adept at hunting here as they are underneath the shade of their tall pines. There should be more than enough to bring back to camp.

ahhhh it's happen! Please let the WC patrol get a few posts in before jumping in with SKC cats, please!

- @GOLDENROAR @Ripplemist @gorsehowl @HARVESTSEEKER @cloverbloom @nutmegpurr @Sunnyspring @JAYPAW @CLAYSPOTS -​

Dustystar - 27 moons - Windclan Leader

 

[cloverbloom cloverbloom]

Even the chilly bite of the leaf-bare air on her nose wasn't enough of a distraction for Cloverbloom. The ginger tunneler's thoughts were racing with each steady pawstep through the snow, her stomach turning at the thought of what might await them once they crossed the border. For her sake and for the sake of the cats she cared about, she hoped this would be an uneventful - if sneaky - hunting patrol.

Dustystar had sent such a large group to be able to catch and carry more prey, and only for that reason... right? Her doubts were never silent anymore, her former trust in the leader's decisions feeling more unsteady and wavering with each pawstep. Each step further across the border flashed images back into her head, a nerve-freezing reminder of what SkyClan was capable of. We'll all be fine. That's what I have to keep telling myself. Nothing is going to happen.

White-toed paws settled themselves in the snow yet again on the other side of the bridge, flicking her ears in Dustystar's direction to catch the leader's orders, then back towards the thicker trees. Her steps were extra cautious, paws barely crunching on the snow as she moved further out from the treeline. She'd listen and watch, at least for now... for both prey or other cats.

A hint of movement caught her eye as she scanned the snowy scene before her, a flash of brown peeking out from under a snowy rock. A squirrel, maybe, but it was small enough that she couldn't quite tell from this distance. She lowered herself to the ground, hoping to disguise the more brightly ginger parts of her fur in the snow as she crept closer to the rock and the creature peeking out from it.

_______the story's undone ✿ unraveled at the seams__________

• "speech" - thoughts
  // mobile post, please forgive any wonky formatting or typos!!
• 
  

  

• Cloverbloom she/her & windclan tunneler
  ✿ lh red lynx mink w/ white spotting
  ✿ 16 moons
  ✿ Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted.
  ✿ Slight suppressed southern accent
  
  
  penned by stygianpaws
  template by scarlet
  template art by lassie​

 

[Ripplemist]

RIPPLEMIST
HE/HIM
42 MOONS
WINDCLAN MOOR-RUNNER
SPEECH | THOUGHTS | SPRIGHTLY | PHYSICAL

PENNED BY PLOT

He'd seen Weaselchirp fret over Cloverbloom before they left - while he hadn't said anything to his sister about his resolution, he padded beside the tunneler, his eyes flicking to her every so often. He hoped that Dustystar was right, that there would be no trouble ahead of the patrol, but he made a promise to come home to Weaselchirp, and he would do his best to help Cloverbloom return to her too.

Again, only if there was any trouble. Which surely there wouldn't be?

Dustystar told them to leave at the first sign of trouble, so the moor-runner relaxed a bit, focusing his senses not on the tension in his Clanmate's pawsteps, but on the scent of prey. This part of the territory was blessedly free of pines, and so at the order to remain silent, he dropped lower and focused on his quarry.

A mouse rustled in the grass not too far away. If he was quick - and by the stars, he knew he was - he'd be able to chase it down before it had a chance to go further into the treeline.

One... two... three!

Ripplemist darted after the mouse, his limbs helping him to zip through the grass and reach it before there was much time to react. With a swift bite, he made his kill, and then turned back to look at the rest of the patrol, prey dangling from his jaws.

​

OOC:

 

[Jaypaw ⏾]

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ Jaypaw ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☽⋆⁺₊⋆-

.

There was little anyone could do to comfort Jaypaw's racing heart. Sure, Sunnyspring had eventually been assigned to this patrol as well, and his mentor's presense made him feel safer, but he was still the only apprentice attending. And sure, he was going to be named a warrior this moon, if all went well, but that didn't mean he felt ready.

Sunnyspring had taught him a lot, but there is only so much a mentor can teach their apprentice with words and safe practice. If this patrol got discovered and Jaypaw was forced to fight another cat, he wasn't sure that would end well for him. All he could rely on was his fast legs - though not as fast as Ripplemist, Jaypaw was still swift on his feet and could hopefully outrun his opponent, should he find himself in an unfortunate situation as that. Though he hoped it would not come to that.

Jaypaw shook his head, trying to clear his mind. If all went as planned, there would be no trouble. They were going to be okay.

A subtle movement caught the apprentice's attention further from the treeline, a bird pecking at something on the ground. A jay. The apprentice crouched low and with light steps crept towards the bird. Putting one paw in front of the other, the cat barely breathed, all his attention focused on the bird. He crept closer and closer, until... pale paws leapt from the ground and flew through the air towards the unsuspecting bird. The bird barely had a chance to react as the apprentice's claws met its plume and quickly ended its life.

Only as the last breath escaped the bird, did Jaypaw realise what he had just killed - a jay simply looking for food. He prayed to StarClan this was a mere coincidence and not a sign of what's about to come.

 

[CLAYSPOTS CLAYSPOTS]

x

Proving themselves was a must.

When Dustystar needed warriors, he jumped at the chance. Before his moor-runner sister could even pipe up, he was at Dustystar's beck and call. This would be the thing that proved to her mother that she was worth something, the stepping stone to show her that Briarpatch was not the only person in this forsaken family worth caring about. Her mouth twisted into a slight snarl, lowering herself to a deep crawl to cross the bridge.

A hunt seemed easy enough: catch prey --- and there were more than enough mouths and paws to carry it all back. However, some warriors seemed to have their own misgivings about this patrol. Clayspots thought them weak, to question Dusty's judgment like that. It was only a matter of time before they realized they were wrong, it wasn't like those kittypets in Skyclan were using all this bountiful prey anyway. He couldn't wait to see Weaselchirp's face when they all returned with the fruits of their labour, the scowl that would paint his mother and sister's faces.

Their ears perked up at the sight of a small squirrel, the redness a contrast to his own pelt. With a swift motion, his fangs latched down on the fluffy creature --- ending its life swiftly.

This would be a walk in the park. He grinned to himself, seeing his fellow Windclanners having their own pools of luck.

OOC //

𐃢𐃡

CLAYSPOTS

TUNNELER OF WINDCLAN
he / she / they, afab (genderfluid)
41 moons old, ages on the 19th.
mouser x nettletongue, littermate to briarpatch, foalstep
mentored by rubblemaw, mentor to finchpaw

SPEECH // THOUGHTS // INTERACTION

penned by asteiri!

 

[GOLDENROAR]

Dustystar's shoulders are lined with it- the worry, the judgement. His eyes are half upon her and half upon the trails that wind towards the Gorge and beyond. His paws are steady, just steps behind her, aqua eyes flicking behind him to see the mishmash of faces that follow him. Some determined and confident, others worrisome. Others, completely shaken to their core by the things they witnessed in camp. Goldenroar swallows, then turns his vision back forwards. He slows when she does, listens to her instructions, then follow second to her.

Goldenroar's ears perk forward. His bushed tail flicks once, a quiet reminder to those behind him to remember what he said in camp. My flank is yours. He had pledged that. Though, really, was his word any kind of trustworthy? His head turned, making eye contact with those that passed to begin hunting, nodding his head to each of them. You aren't marching them to their death. It's just a hunting patrol. Relax. His vision turned back towards the forest-line. Realistically, he knew they wouldn't be walking away with no contact. A party of cats this large would, at the very least, cause an uproar at the gathering.

He could almost imagine it now. He doesn't, though. He wouldn't be caught dead daydreaming with his paws in enemy territory. In moons far earlier, that wouldn't have been the case. This would've just been... ground. Earth, to hunt upon. He's speculating on this as he keeps watching, standing sentinel in the dead grasses, aqua eyes trained on the treeline.

_______________________ I KEEP RUNNIN' BUT ☼ I'M STANDING STILL _______________________

• "speech"
  

• 

• GOLDENROAR he/him, windclan deputy, fourty four moons.
  ☆ a lh golden red marbled tabby with low white and glimmering aqua eyes. often seen with a smirk, confidence oozing from him in heaps, but always the ever-helpful guy.
  ☆ mentored by no one / mentoring dandelionpaw
  ☆ older brother to merrystalk and sunnyspring
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by laevatein ↛ laevatein_arx8 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  
  ☆ mini by tasmagoric, ref image by laevatein (yours truly!)

 

[nutmegpurr nutmegpurr]

She leaves Roostertuft and Meadowpaw behind when it's time to go. Some part of her is half relieved she had enough time to sit with Roostertuft, to decorate their new nest together, another part of her wails for what could be (teeth rend once more, flash in the moonlight), and another part of her is satisfied to have been chosen for what could be seen as a get back, even if they don't play by Skyclan's rules (a life for a life). Molewhisker lays dead, buried beneath the earth. Nothing they do will ever bring them back, but maybe, maybe they could get Skyclan where it really hurts. Prey was normally scarce during leafbare, she remembers the barn, remembers how little mice had dwindled when everyone was trying to keep at least half full...

Curled ears turn backwards as she slinks alongside her patrol. One by one, cats break off. She stands, slightly farther back, lingers on the wood of the bridge, relishes the scratchy texture beneath her pawpads. Once, her and Roostertuft had sat on this bridge together, and she can her her own words echo in her mind. Afraid to live a little? She had intended to tease him, but looking back on it, all she could think of now was how good he looked underneath that moonlight. She swallows, shaking her head. Back to the patrol, Nutmeg.

Her paws carry her slightly away, in to the dead grass. Her clanmates all have luck, and so she tries her own: she slinks through the grass with perked ears and her nose tipped up. Nutmeg will not allow herself to come back empty-pawed, will not allow all of this to be for nothing. Her eyes occasionally flick towards the treeline.

GOOD NEWS FOR ANYONE ♡ WHO LOVES BAD NEWS

•  
•  
• 
  NUTMEGPURR ♡
  
  ( gale guard of windclan )​
  ❥ a tall cinnamon tortie with curled ears & pink-brown eyes; well-muscled & fluffy
  ❥ mentored pebblestep
  ❥ sister to meadowpaw & peafowlplume; mates with roostertuft
  ❥ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ❥ penned by chuff
  "speech"

 

[HARVESTSEEKER HARVESTSEEKER]

HARVESTSEEKER

SHE / HER
35 MOONS
WINDCLAN MOOR RUNNER

PENNED BY SATURNID

Paws tread across the scentline, heedless of the warning it carried. Harvestseeker could not claim to know much of SkyClan beyond the hisses of murder, the body laying cold with pine scent laced in its fur. It was all foreign to her; her life had been small, not too long ago. Red walls, soft earth. No worrying over raised claws or crossed borders.

And yet - the need for food, at least this much she can understand. Despite the unease that prickles her pelt, despite the wailing cries that had arisen at Goldenroar's announcement. Leafbare's chill hooks its claws in them at all; if this transgression means that none go hungry for just a little longer, then it shall be worth it. It is not catblood they seek, Dustystar affirms, despite the gnawing feeling that it must be so. They have a noble cause.

Trees tower like watching eyes; any one could harbor a SkyClan cat, just waiting to strike. She tries to hunt, to search the roots for life, but her eyes keep drifting upwards.

​

OOC:

 

[Sunnyspring]

x

x

x

SUNNYSPRING

WINDCLAN

WARRIOR

SHE/HER

34 MOONS

DINGO

It had eased her somewhat at being added to this patrol after at first hearing her apprentice would go without her but the closer they got to the border the more her sunny pelt began to prick uneasily... Sunnyspring hadn't been sure of what to think when the patrol had been first announced, Molewhisker had been killed by one of SkyClan hadn't they? She didn't doubt for a second Merry had been right about what he scented. It was risky to go so close to them, let alone what they were all doing now and yet some part of her also wanted justice for their clanmate. Did the rest of SkyClan even know one of their own had killed a cat? Maybe thoughts would clear for every cat in WindClan once their bellies were full.

Her caramel coloured gaze would land on her apprentice for a few heartbeats, hoping he wasn't as anxious as she felt inside even if she put on a brave face. Sunny knew that if trouble fell upon the patrol she would do everything in her power to ensure Jaypaw would make it out safely but thinking back to the meeting, and how Goldy had offered his own flank for the others... Sunny didn't want any harm to come to her brother either. He was bigger than her and braver for sure and if any cat here could protect them it was Goldenroar but still. She'd swallow hard as she watched his pelt move up ahead of the group. "StarClan, please keep us all safe..."

This was just a hunting patrol after all. It should be safe.

Keeping herself low to the ground her fear was briefly replaced by pride when she spotted that Jaypaw had already caught something! She bit her tongue though to keep the praise to herself until she could relay it to him later more safely. Some of the other patrol members had also had luck in catching something, concentrating now to the best of her ability she too would start to try and hunt, not wanting to return to camp empty pawed. Though she found her gaze kept flicking this way and that and especially toward the treeline for signs of danger...

They were just here to hunt.

Through the summer and the fall, we had each other, that was all

A fluffy longhaired red tabby molly with low white and caramel eyes. Has a long white mohawk-like head of "hair" that goes all the way down the back of her head and joins up to her fluffy mane around the neck. Big girl! Though not quite as big as her big brother Goldy!

Sister to GOLDENROAR and MERRYSTALK
Mentoring JAYPAW
"speech" // "thoughts" // #bd3618