Camp ITS BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE…? ౨ৎ morning frost

[nutmegpurr nutmegpurr]

When Nutmeg wakes up in the morning, its cold, like… Really cold. She shifts from @ROOSTERTUFT, having had stolen his warmth for the night- she really, really wishes she could stay in the confines of a nest that had practically melded together overtime, but she has work to do. Or, rather, a morning run to do first and then work to do. She stretches, and then makes her way to the outskirts of camp, where something catches her eye.

"Hey. You're new," she murmurs, pawing at the frozen sprig of grass. She knows what this is, having had seen it before- later in leaffall and early leafbare, the morning dew turns to morning frost. "Hm." is all she really has to say about it, a curled ear flicking. Memories resurface, of her and Meadow trudging in the snow, in simpler times. Her lips curl upwards for just a moment. "Wonder when it'll start snowing."

GOOD NEWS FOR ANYONE ♡ WHO LOVES BAD NEWS

• a quick little no pressure inspired by the snow i just got…
  
•  
• 
  NUTMEGPURR ♡
  
  ( gale guard of windclan )​
  ❥ a tall cinnamon tortie with curled ears & pink-brown eyes; well-muscled & fluffy
  ❥ mentored pebblestep
  ❥ sister to meadowpaw & peafowlplume; reluctantly interested in roostertuft
  ❥ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ❥ penned by chuff
  "speech"

 

[Yewkit]

YEWKIT

.

.

Yewkit hasn't been alive for long enough to know what cold is to come in the upcoming moons. The coldest she's ever felt was during the floodings, when she stood submerged in water rising higher and higher.

But lately, it seems that each morning is colder than the one before and today is no different. As Yewkit gets up from her nest in the nursery, she notices her breaths manifesting in front of her in clouds of fogs - her warm breath escaping her lungs and inhaling cold air back in. She has heard of the season changing of course, but didn't expect the change to be so quick and so drastic - she expected it to be less severe, like when the day turns into night and the temperature drops, or when it rains and cools the air down. But now, even with the sun shining bright, she is still cold.

And, despite hearing about it, she has not expected to find what she does outside - the grass to be covered in white and transparent bits - like dew, but solid to the touch, almost sharp if it wasn't so fragile. Yewkit looks around and notices it's not just the grass but everything - every surface and sprout of green is covered in intricate white frost. The slowly rising sun illuminates the moorland camp, light glinting off of the crystals.

The kitten sniffs the frost and her ears and nose immediatelly turn cold, unable to suppress a sneeze. She can do nothing but look in amazement at the sight, wishing only she didn't have to be so cold to be able to witness it.

 

[Pebblestep]

Well you do enough talk
My little hawk, why do you cry?
Tell me what did you learn from the Tillamook burn?
Or the Fourth of July?
We're all gonna die

.

Frost... Cold was returning to the moor, creeping into every blade of grass like it meant to claim the world. Pebblestep stared at the frozen earth beneath his paws, sea-green eyes wide with a fleeting spark of something childlike, remembering, faintly, what this season used to feel like. Snowflakes stuck to fur as Mama Alder called them inside. Warm bodies nestled close. Laughter. Soft purrs. Safety. All of it gone now. The wonder faded as quickly as it had come, replaced by a hollow ache. He was still here, breathing, shivering, existing. But he felt like a ghost trapped in a body, something that should've burned up with the barn. A living dead thing. A husk.

Pebblestep... Should've been Pebblehusk... He snorted softly at the thought of the name. A cruel joke, perhaps. A title for a cat who barely knew how to keep moving. His shoulders hunched as he settled near Nutmegpurr and Yewkit, drawn to them without quite understanding why. Maybe because warmth naturally gathered around his mentor and he was endlessly freezing on the inside. A small sneeze broke the quiet. His ears perked, and despite everything, a faint smile pulled at his mouth. Something gentle. Something leftover from who he used to be. " It's... Very cold. " he murmured, voice soft as frost clinging to leaves. Not really asking for conversation. Not expecting it. Just... Speaking.

His gaze softened as it fell on Yewkit. " You should stay warm. " he added, a whisper of concern carefully wrapped in quiet. " We don't want you catching the sniffles. " A tiny flicker of warmth pressed against the ice in his chest. It didn't melt, but it didn't break him, either.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

14 MOONS

𖧧

WINDCLANNER

𖧧

SONG

𖧧

bio

 

[ROOSTERTUFT]

x

Roostertuft had been sound asleep with his nest taking in the warmth provided by the other body at his side, he only stirs from his sleep when he feels Nutmegpurr shift around, and its enough to make one of his eyes open up rather lazily. A tired mrrp slips from his jaws as he uses a single paw to push himself upwards so that he's sitting on his haunches, his jaws parting to allow a yawn to slip out, and he shakes some of the nest material from his coat before slowly sauntering over to where everyone else seems to be gathered. A sniff slips out from him as a brow quirks to see Nutmeg pawing at a frozen sprig of grass and he pads over with both of his ears angled forward with a blink of his eyes.

"Well, the best we can do is find more nest materials to keep us warm." He says despite how the grogginess that still hangs above his head makes his words sound a little slurred and he allows his coat to shake out so that he may be more awake and present for this conversation. A small part of his mind wonders if Nutmegpurr would remain at his side through the entirety of leaf-bare but he's swift to replace the thought in pondering if prey would still be able to be found despite the colder weather.

FACES ILLUMINATED IN THE DARK

ROOSTERTUFT

WINDCLAN WARRIOR
TRANS MASC x HE/HIM​

x

"speech", thoughts, attacking
a large, longhaired black smoke tortie/blue ticked tabby chimera with a pair of earthy toned eyes and low white
has complicated feelings towards goldenroar and subtly interested in nutmegpurr

charismatic, stubborn, adventurous, aloof, and awkward would be a few words that describe roostertuft as an individual. a former barncat that's getting accustomed to clan life after the events of the barn burning down, he oftentimes misses the life before it burnt down yet he's someone who'll adapt to change.

 

[Branchpaw Branchpaw]

BRANCHKIT
HE/HIM
5 MOONS
WINDCLAN KIT
SPEECH | THOUGHTS | APHOTIC | PHYSICAL

PENNED BY PLOT_TWISTS

Branchkit woke to find himself tucked even closer to Momma and his siblings, but even despite the shared body heat, he was still... chilly. Was he sick? His eyes flashed open. He didn't want to be sick, even if it meant he could spend more time with Talonpaw - being sick is why Lotuskit wasn't an apprentice yet! He didn't want to delay that- if anything, he wanted to ask Ma if he could be an apprentice with Lotuskit! He knew he was a little younger than his littermates, but maybe he could -

Right. The chill. It was really cold, and judging by the chatter outside the nursery, it seemed like it wasn't just him? He wriggled out from his nest and padded out of the nursery, only to feel the ground crunch beneath his paws.

What?

He reached down and sniffed at the frozen grass, jumping back in surprise.

"Cold!" he mewed in surprise. "Why is it cold?"

​

OOC:

 

[Hollowmumble]

Hollowmumble, -- 43 Moons / Windclan Cat -- Ages on the 14th
Black spotted ghost tabby with bright amber eyes.
She is friendly, yet quiet, and always willing to help.

Tagging @Branchkit

---

Hollowmumble could already tell this would be no easy winter. Food would not come as readily out here as it did in the barn. The grass was crystalized over with a light frost, and it was easy to sense what would be coming soon. Snow, and plenty of it. She could only hope that they could keep everyone fed...

She barely noticed it, as focused on the other cats conversations as she was. Her large ear flicked in the direction of the nursery, glancing over to see the suprised kitten staring down at the grass, baffled. Eyes softening slightly, she moved a bit closer to the den.

"It's winter." She mumbled, "It's time for the plants to rest. They'll regrow in spring, when it's warm again."

 

[Wrenwhisker]

Wrenwhisker didn't care overmuch for leaf-bare. The lack of prey made her Clanmates irritable and stressed, and the gnawing hunger in her own gut made her less patient with them than usual (for a negotiable level of "usual," anyway). Besides, the cold did strange things to scents, both above- and below ground, made them harder to follow and snuffed out the subtler ones. The winter also stiffened the dirt so that it resisted her ministrations and made doing her job even more challenging than usual. Though, to the tunnels' credit, it was often more pleasant down there this time of year, if only to be shielded from the bitter winds. Overall, though, leaf-bare made life harder and bleaker, and it did seem a perennial favorite topic of conversation - which bothered her even more.

Still, a conversation was a conversation. She had to start her day somehow, right? The tortoiseshell-tabby slunk over to join her Clanmates, who seemed to be discussing the frosty morning with a few kits who were, perhaps, experiencing it for the first time. "Hot springs'd feel good on a day like this. Shame we couldn't take the little'ns." Wrenwhisker remarked in her raspy voice, glancing with an expression of latent mischief at the other warriors. She leaned in towards Yewkit and Branchkit, grinning hugely, and inquired, "You kitlin's good at swimmin'?"

 

[poppykit's icon poppykit poppykit]

POPPYKIT | WINDCLAN
"TELL ME I'M AN ANGEL, TAKE THIS TO MY GRAVE"

.

Poppykit has known that it would be getting colder as time passed, but he never suspected it would get this cold!! He ambles after Yewkit, trying to shake the sleep from his pelt, and he watches when Yewkit tries to sniff the frosted grass, resulting in a sneeze.
"Woah! Does it smell weird?" Hardly able to wait for Yewkit's response, Poppykit leans forward himself, his nose pressing against the cold grass. He recoils just as quickly, his face scrunched up as he swipes to get the cold sensation off his nose. "Ahh! It's cold!!" Despite his own discomfort, he laughs.

The kitten looks up when Pebblestep speaks, his mismatched eyes as wide as his excited smile, and he watches as several other cats join the conversation. Pebblestep and Roostertuft speak of keeping warm, while Branchkit makes the same mistake the other kittens had. Poppykit can't help but chuckle at the sight of it, but his attention is quickly caught by something that Hollowmumble says... "It's time for the plants to rest."
To rest? he wonders. But... Momma told me...
He remembers a time when he had seen a flower that had wilted and dried, its petals falling from its stem to the ground. When he asked what happened, thinking it was sick, his Momma said it wasn't just sick - it was dead. He opens his mouth to interject that he knows what really happens, but when his gaze shifts back between Yewkit and Branchkit, he instead falls quiet, sitting down next to his sister and staring down at his paws. Maybe Momma lied about that too. Maybe they ARE just resting... They frown, their confusion deepening as frustration stirs in their chest. They're not sure what to believe...

Wrenwhisker's question snaps Poppykit out of their trance, and their voice is softer now, still lost in thought. "Oh, I dunno. I've never tried swimmin' before..." They tilt their head curiously. "Is it fun...?

---

"TELL ME I'M A BAD MAN, KICK ME LIKE A STRAY"

POPPYKIT
WINDCLAN KITTEN
4 MOONS
HE/THEY
"SPEECH" | THOUGHTS | ACTION | LUCIDITY

 

[Yewkit]

YEWKIT

.

.

Yewkit watches her little brother following after her, full of energy as always. Despite everything going wrong. at least Poppykit is always there to curl against her during the night. No matter how cold it gets.

Yewkit turns after Pebblestep's voice, telling her to stay warm. "I know... I'll go back inside the nursery shortly." she whispers. Back to mother. Her own coat is unlike mother's, thin and short, making her shiver even at the slightest of breezes. Pebblestep is right - it's better for her to not be outside.

Wrenwhisker talks about the hot springs, but Yewkit knows those are out in the territory. "We're not allowed to leave camp." she reminds the warrior quietly. "Especially not me." she adds, knowing mother would not let her even if she were to ask. Especially if she were to ask.

Yewkit remembers the flooding, the water rising below her paws, as she turns to Poppykit. "Swimming... it can be fun. But the water is dangerous." her voice is small as ever. "Don't try to go near it without mother keeping an eye on you." The kitten tries to hush the memory of her dream, of mother unable to help her out of the dark liquid. Yewkit knows better than to leave her, knows better than to touch the water's surface on her own again. She will make sure Poppykit doesn't make the same mistakes she did, doesn't suffer the same fate. She will protect him.

 

[Branchpaw Branchpaw]

BRANCHKIT
HE/HIM
5 MOONS
WINDCLAN KIT
SPEECH | THOUGHTS | APHOTIC | PHYSICAL

PENNED BY PLOT_TWISTS

Branchkit looked up at Hollowmumble with wide eyes.

"Oh... so are Meadowpaw and Dimmingsun gonna be okay? Don't they need the plants?" Wrenwhisker's question made the kit freeze. He remembered the rushing water, the way he thought Lotuskit and Momma were lost forever. How could cats want to go in the water?

"Not very good at swimming," he mumbled to her, shifting awkwardly. He preferred solid ground beneath his paws.

​

OOC:

 

[Hollowmumble]

Hollowmumble, -- 43 Moons / Windclan Cat -- Ages on the 14th
Black spotted ghost tabby with bright amber eyes.
She is friendly, yet quiet, and always willing to help.

Tagging @Branchkit

---

"They'll be fine." Hollowmumble assured. "There will be less plants, and it may be a bit harder for them to help cats without them, but spring will come back eventually." She sat near the small cat, looking down at him. "You just have to be patient and stay warm. It'll get much colder."

She dreaded the cold to come, and missed the effortless warmth of a house and a nice comfortable bed and couch. It would be impossible to get that level of comfort out here, with the frozen earth and cold ice-touched grass. At least with all of the cats huddled together in dens, everyone could stay a little bit warm.

 

[.SHRIKEPAW. .SHRIKEPAW.]

Shrikepaw barely remembered the warmth of greenleaf anymore, having been born late into new-leaf and nest-bound majority of those warmer months. No. Rather all the ivory and shadow-toned apprentice remembered was the slowly cooling clutches of leaf-fall and now leafbare. Didn't mean he enjoyed it, however. The frost had settled into his fur during the night, dew having tinged the darker tips of his tail and back of his neck with icy wetness as he woke up. This morning was... colder than the others since he was first let out of the nursery, something that made his whiskers twitch with distaste. He crawled his way out from the other apprentices, the last illusion of warmth, before his fur puffed up at the sudden chill in the air.
Yep. That's cold alright.
Shrikepaw shook himself, jaws splitting in a yawn with tufted ears pulled back and spine arched as he clawed at the cold, tough ground underpaw in a leisurely stretch while the other cats that were awake mingled. "Swimming?" He butted into the conversation, dragging his hind paws behind him as he pulled himself in the direction of the others to finish his stretch before padding over. "I mean... if you don't like feeling your paws after a few minutes. Not even the fish want to be in the river at this time, y'know?" He meowed, glancing at Wrenwhisker than the kits. "The flood taught me that much, felt like I'd never get that mud out of my fur."

​

SHRIKEPAW he/him, windclan 08 moons old.
black and white tom with pale blue eyes
mentored by none // mentoring none
littermate to ???
NPC x NPC / father/mother to none / mated to none
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by Angelkisses / @/Angelkisses on discord, feel free to dm for plots.