Private Backwritten Growth Happens in the Walks Between Places ✪ Heading to the Moonstone ✪

[Dustystar]

{$title} (takes place 3/19/25) Heading to the Moonstone. Please let Sweet and Goldy post before the snoopers do! Title is something a staff member told me at a LARP event when i was a teen, and i still think about it.

✪ Align my Heart, my Body, my Mind​

indentIt's almost dusk. There's no time to waste. Dustystar - she's still not used to calling herself that - will need to reach the Moonstones by nightfall if she wants any answers. The trek will be difficult, but she needs to know more about the cats from beyond the stars. Her determination to understand will guide her unsteady steps.

indent"Thank you both for being with me. No way I could be here without you." She'd chosen Sweet and Goldy to accompany her. She would be loathe to admit it, but Goldy had proven himself trustworthy in their short time working together. He had been the first to speak out in support of her, despite the widespread distrust. Dustystar would be foolish not to rely on his support. She didn't know Sweet as well, but he was known as a kind, if reserved tom. His keen sense of hearing would be key in keeping them safe among the tall grasses that obscured their vision.

indentThe trio stood a little while outside of camp, away from prying ears. Dustystar didn't need any more embarrassment for today. "If it ends up this is a wild goose chase, you can both feel free to kill me." She jokes, but it's clear she's nervous. 'What if I am just crazy? No doubt they'll cast me aside. I might even deserve it.' Dustystar takes a deep breath and steels her nerves. The moonstone was just north of here. It wouldn't be a long walk for a healthy cat, but they were tired, and Dustystar was still nursing the blisters on her paws. They'd need to head out soon to make it in time. Stalwart, Dustystar turns to the horizon and begins to walk. "C'mon, boys. Daylights wasting."

- @GOLDY @Sweetnose @LUCILLE @Miley @dawn -​

Dustystar - 25 moons - Windclan Leader

 

[GOLDENROAR]

Exhaustion tugs at his eyelids, even though he rested before this little... adventure they were about to embark on. Dusty, or Dustystar he supposes, stands not far from him as he approaches. Goldy stretches, mouth opening wide in a yawn before clicking shut, shaking off the brief nap he took in-between being told about this mission in confidence and now. Her words are kind, but still very much her in the way that she is a hint sharper. "Hey, don't mention it. Or do. If these cats are really our ancestors or ghosts or y'know, I may need the good word." He hums quietly, halfway a joke- his attempt at keeping this long walk lighter.

Their talk during the first watch lingered in his mind. Even despite her harsher tone, Dustystar had made it a point to open up a bit- well, that was Dusty back then, wasn't it? Things haven't changed, he thinks, aqua eyes shifting towards her briefly, then to the horizon. He swallows lightly at the thought of things to come, his paw still aching. Something that he ignores in favor of making sure she was supported. Goldy wasn't sure if he himself would be able to head this group confidently. After all, Dustystar had opinions about him and he had hardly met her. That's going to have to change, too.

Goldy looks back towards her at the joke. "Oh, please. Y' don't need this uh.. Starclan's grace to lead, y'know. You coulda done that without em'." He teases back. Aqua eyes simmer with some kind of comradery. Easy does it. You'll be fine. The smile on his lips is genuine, but his eyes are still tired, weary of what's to come after what already has. She turns to start walking, and he sighs, gently bumping his shoulder against Sweet's in a show of companionship, moving after Dustystar now. "So, what do y' think is gonna happen in there?" He asks- truthfully, he hadn't heard every detail that she had described, and what if there was more to be known? He wanted to know, really, what was about to happen. In the meantime, he kept his ears turned, searching for noises of approaching predators.

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

• "speech"
  

• 

• GOLDY he/him, to-be-windclanner, thirty three 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 who / mentoring no one
  ☆ older brother to merry
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

/code]

 

[Sweetnose]

･ﾟ :｡･･ Tomorrow holds no promises ･ﾟ·:｡･ ✦ except the ones we've made.

He didn't know how he felt about it all, the fire had been terrifying in a way he couldn't describe to other cats. How could he put into words the horror of darkness and heat, the smell of burning, the distinct scent of a cat caught aflame, flesh being devoured by starving flames. Sweet wishes he could have seen it all, somehow that would have made it easier because his mind was conjuring up the worst case scenarios and filling the gaps in ways that made his stomach twist and turn uneasily. The dark tom ambled alongside Goldy, his head down and his shoulder just close enough to make contact - enough he could feel the other's presence and maintain his walk forward without wandering off the beaten path.
"Kill you? Don't be silly..." The black cat says shrilly before realizing it was a joke and he huffed a dry chuckle after, "...we need all the paws we can get now." He knew they were in the field, the rolling tall grass and the expansive land far beyond the tall wheat of the barnyard area, but he didn't know exactly where amidst the new scents they currently stood. "I believe you, if it helps..." Goldy bumps into him, a reminder of the larger tom's presence, his stability and the black cat purrs in quiet thanks; he was getting overwhelmed with all the new smells again, "If there are spirits you have to describe them to me. What even does a ghost look like?"

･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟ･ﾟ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟ･ i am lost here ｡✦ ･ﾟi am lost with you･ﾟ ･ﾟ･･ﾟ･ﾟ･

Sweetnose

— Future WindClanner (Barncat)
— He/Him
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
— Solid black tom w/yellow eyes. (Is Blind)
#edc11a

 

[Dustystar]

✪ Align my Heart, my Body, my Mind​

indentDusty lets out a shaky laugh. She can't blame Sweet for not catching the joke immediately. It's a tense time, the idea of 'kidding around' seems like a distant thought.
"You say 'All the paws we can get', but I'm not useful for much more 'n barking orders right now."

indentAs if on cue, Dusty leans on Goldy for a brief moment, gathering her strength before she moves forward. She may not be suffering the same extensive injuries as, say, Meadow was, but healing the burns is sapping her energy. Right now, she wants nothing more than to bury her face into her Peepaw's warm fur and fall asleep for the next two moons. There's work to be done now, though, so she stays moving.

indentShe makes a point not to respond to Goldy's comment, hoping he won't notice. 'Don't need Starclan's grace to lead? I wonder if he really means that.' She had a hard enough time getting support without divine intervention. Or, perhaps, her claims of cats from beyond the veil are exactly what made the others reject her. She takes a deep breath

indent"They're real pretty, Sweet. A little transparent like, as if they're made out of heavy fog, but they're more... solid, than that. And their pelts shimmer and shine like glittering sunlight off of water. At least, the one I met was. I wonder if they're all the same." If she sees her Meemaw, will she appear as ethereal and shining, just like Windrose? Even if she does, Dusty is sure she'll always find Chicken the prettiest when she sat in the sun, telling her granddaughter stories about her own youth. It's a sight Dusty longs to see again.

Dustystar - 25 moons - Windclan Leader

 

[GOLDENROAR]

Goldy thinks himself relatively lucky, to be on both feet with two good eyes. Nothing against the other two, really, it's just how the chips fell. He breaths out softly as he's used as a stand, and returns a smile in favor of her not shouldering past a wound that would drag her down later. "You'll get your strength back soon, for sure." He hums out, confident of that much. He falls quiet and steps into line, somewhere between the both of them- he gives Sweet a gentle brush of his tail to keep the younger tom on track if needed, and lends a shoulder whenever Dusty starts to lag.

He does, however, listen closely as Dusty speaks out on what they look like. His eyes shift towards the destination far in the distance. "Huh. That's... real interestin'." Goldy states aloud, but it wasn't like he was trying to brush off her description- no, by his tone alone you could tell that he was really considering that. Cats, made out of a heavy fog or something similar, as if the very set of stars above their head glimmered off of them. His eyes shifting skyward, then back forward again, thinking quietly for a long moment.

"I bet y' two mice that they're all sliiiightly different." He says, making a tiny game of it. "What if they're differen' colors? Or even not as shiny as one-another?" He hums, a tiny grin on his lips.

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

• "speech"
  

• 

• GOLDENROAR he/him, windclan deputy, thirty six 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 who / mentoring no one
  ☆ older brother to merry
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Pebblespaw]

PEBBLEPAW

You taught me the courage of stars before you left. How light carries on endlessly, even after death

Everything still felt like too much, overwhelming, unbearable. But Dusty was gone, off to… somewhere. He wasn't sure where, exactly, but they had said she was going to do something important. Something greater than all of this chaos. So he ran... Stars, he ran as fast as his paws could carry him, he ran to catch up with the small group ahead. He knew he wasn't allowed out of camp, but this was different. This was urgent. He ran like chasing a fever dream, desperate and wild.

He only stopped when he saw Dusty up ahead. " Dusty! Dusty, wait! Wait, please! " His voice cracked, panic rising as he skidded to a halt, nearly bumping into her. His wide eyes looked up, chest heaving, body trembling. " Can you… can you… whatever you're going to do… you're going to talk, right? Talk to… you're going- " He choked on his words.

" Tell Mama Alder to come back! When you see faer, tell faer to come back to us! "

═════════════⊹⊱ ⟡ ⊰⊹═════════════

 

[MAREMANE]

Thankfully, her eyes were a mere other shade of the grass around them – betrayingly curious grass. But curious was a description for a cat sweeter than her, less imposing and cold. She had a tendency to end up with caught breath, piecing the mosaic of other barn escapees through tall blades. She had no ounce of charisma in her bones to rescue her from the fact if she got caught, cats wouldn't just call her curious nor interested.

No, Lucille would be called a stalker.

It would've been a horrifying brushstroke completing the portrait of a woman who was already considered abrasive. To add freak onto that?... She couldn't.

At least she didn't have to stand still for long. The sound of their walks swished through the air, masking her own nimble paws behind them. She released them from her field of view – with a cringe, Lucille realized it was something she had experience in.

Dustystar's choices of travel buddies were no surprise. The two toms accompanying her were sensible, experienced in the world. Somehow, fate had gifted them not only with adequate skills, but thriving personalities. Goldy's ease, his gentle trust, was enough to make Lucille itch with discomfort at her own desicion to follow them. The skepticism she had was not individual, and yet they both followed Dustystar to a place they'd never been. Would she ever be up for the challenge of doing the same for a molly she thought was hallucinating?

It was as if she stood on the very edges of a fire, too far to feel the heat. Blindly wandering, chasing the voices of the trio, she knew the warmth was there. But she couldn't be apart of it.

She was too afraid of being burned.