Toe the border with my eyes so blurred ✪ 7/28 meeting

[Dustystar Dustystar]

✪ Align my Heart, my Body, my Mind​

indent"All cats old enough to gather their own prey, gather under the tallrock, please. We've got a few things to discuss."

indentA silver tail wraps neatly around delicate striped paws "It's been an eventful few days, hasn't it?" Since the Gathering, everything has seemed to move quickly, like a whirlwind. So many things have changed in such a short period of time. "Now that we've had to a while to recover from the Gathering, I'd like to go over some of the... revelations from that night." Dustystar breathes out a harried sigh, the events replaying in her mind, as they had been for days. "One thing has been made incredibly clear to us. The other clans can and will kill over perceived transgressions. I know many of us haven't been living with strict rules and borders before we became a clan. It's lead to some of our rank being rather... casual about the whole affair." She chooses her words carefully. She doesn't want to treat her warriors as if they're stupid for not observing rules they'd only recently had thrust upon them. "But I need to insist, the borders are not a suggestion. Crossing over isn't worth having your throat torn out. Make good decisions."

indent Green eyes drift towards the medicine den. "We've managed to bolster our ranks, in the meantime. I'm sure you've all noticed some new faces in the nursery and medicine den. Plague and Bengt will be staying with us for the time being, at least until they're well enough to leave. What they do then is up to them." Dustystar understands the clan has some apprehension welcoming newcomers in such uneasy times, but she's certain they won't bring Windclan any harm. They can't afford to. Plague desperately needs a safe place to raise her kits, and Bengt will require Meadowpaw's treatment if he doesn't want that missing eye to become his end.

indent"Even today, we have a newcomer." Dustystar calls. "Fowl, if you're feeling well enough, could you step forward?" She waits a moment, to see if the little brown cat will come, before she clears her throat and continues. "We're glad to welcome you among our ranks. Here, when cats reach the age of six moons, they are granted a new name, and t he rank of 'apprentice', along with a mentor, to teach them the ways of life the prairie. If you're going to be staying with us, it's only fitting that you be given the same honor." She smiles at the young cat. "From this day onwards, you'll hold the name of 'Fowlpaw'." Although they already have so many apprentices to care and look after, Dustystar can't help but feel prideful as she welcomes another into their ranks. It may take awhile for their injury to heal and their training to begin, but Dustystar is sure Fowlpaw will make a wonderful clan cat. "Hollowmumble. Since you brought Fowlpaw to us, would you accept the honor of becoming their mentor?" It only feels right to pair the two together. Hollowmumble has shown trepidation towards clan tradition, but she can't imagine the molly turning down a mentorship.

indent Shoulder sag as Dustystar sighs, before regaining her composure. "Things are difficult, now. A lot of us are nervous about what will happen next. But, no matter what comes to us, I'm sure Windclan will come out on top. We've survived hardships before, we can do it again." She looks each cat gathered in the crowd in the eyes, trying to lend them confidence with her gaze. 'I'm scared too... but, I've got a lot of powerful cats helping me. I need to have faith in them, and my clan.'

- @BENGT @Plague @Fowl @Hollowmumble -​

Dustystar - 27 moons - Windclan Leader

 

[Hollowmumble]

Hollowmumble, -- 39 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 @Dustystar @Fowl

---

Sat at the back of the crowd, as she typically was, she watched Dustystar climb upon the rock that loomed over them all. She had gotten confident, in the clan's time there, and it seemed her confidence only continued to grow as she took to her place above them all quite well. An authority. A leadership. A chain and collar. She listened closely as Dustystar rattled off recent happenings, not a stutter in sight or a shuffle of the paws. Everyone would be comfortable with this eventually, but never quite herself...

She found her eyes squinting the slightest bit, at the reminder of the borders and the need for them. Of course she would never be stupid enough to cross over into another clan's borders. That was an easy way to get your ears ripped off and your throat shredded, as Thunderclan eagerly exhibited to anyone who would watch. She would respect the scent lines of others, but she would never go out of her way to chase other cats out of theirs. It was wrong.

Laying on the cool ground as she watched the whole affair, she set her head down on her paws. The newcomers, yes... the other cats were growing so wary. It made her heart heavy. These strangers deserved better. Her mind was started to drift when her name was called, and she immediately sat at attention, temporarily stunned at what Dustystar had just said.

A... mentor? Her? She... she was one of the most hesitant ones to accept the clan lifestyle, even with how much she kept to herself, surely Dustystar knew that. To entrust her with the life and training of a younger cat... she didn't know what to think. Before the moment of silence could go on for long enough to be awkward, she looked down at her paws and stuttered out a, "O-of course, Dustystar!"

Anxious at so suddenly being the center of attention, she kept her gaze down until the leader continued with her announcements, until she was absolutely sure that everyone's eyes had left her. Letting out a sigh of relief, she lifted her head only slightly to look around, trying to spot her new... apprentice... in the crowd.

 

[Fowl]

xx

Fowlpaw

It was strange being around so many cats they didn't know. Quietly they wandered among the ranks, mimicking their lax behaviors and hiding amongst them. They sat down and lifted their heads up to watch with pricked ears.

The towering silver cat known as Dustystar sat poised on top of the tallest rock, retelling the 'Gathering.' They are taken aback when they discover how brutal the neighboring clans are. Cats are cautioned not to cross borders carelessly; Fowl leans forward, listening intently to every word spoken. Thankful that this clan's territory was the one they stumbled upon.

Plague and Bengt were just as much of a stranger to themselves as they were to the clan cats, and even they were openly taken in. Bengt with an injury similar to their own, much worse but still accepted. Fowl let out a tense breath before suddenly their name was heard, followed by a request. "Oh sure, no problem." They maneuvered around others so they might be seen from the shadows. Dustystar explained their clan's culture in a very different way from their previous colony's traditions.

Young cats are embraced at a particular age, given new names, and assigned a mentor with new expectations. Instead, age marks the end of life in the colony and the beginning of life alone in the world. It seemed like they were cheating by being here, but they smiled and nodded, unable to give up such an opportunity. "Fowlpaw…" They quietly repeated the new name change with butterflies in their stomach.

With Hollowmumble as their mentor, they nod vehemently in agreement, and when the sound of her voice rings out, they turn back to find the familiar black cat with the change in topics.

❥━━♡━━❥​

Fowlpaw // he/them // 6 moons old // Windclan moor runner apprentice

A short red cat with brown tuff of fur covering half their face and a brown tail.

mentored by Hollowmumble
NPC x NPC

penned by Ghostnoodles ↛ frieddnoodles on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[BENGT]

Despite not being a member of the Clan, Bengt peeks out of the medicine cat's den when Dustystar calls—he should be allowed to participate because by definition, he's more than old enough to catch his own prey. It is only during times like these that he realizes how many cats WindClan has. He doesn't remember the other Clans' names, but he wonders if they are just as packed; the only thing he really knows about them is that they have stirred quite some trouble at the latest full moon, shedding blood and taking lives in an attempt at serving justice. How curious.

Bengt listens eagerly, soaking up any and all information that's provided to him. Knowledge is always an advantage, and although he has little reasons to be wary, he never knows when the hospitality takes a turn and wants something in return.

Dustystar's working eye finds him and he blinks back at her in acknowledgement. Until he's well enough to leave. He smiles.

"You're an apprentice too,"

Bengt tells Meadowpaw when Dustystar renames a few cats and assigns them their mentors. He has supposed as much, if only by Meadowpaw's lacking experience—no fault of her own—, but he now knows what paw means.

"Who's your mentor?"

She has been doing everything by herself.

Talking to @Meadowpaw but open to anyone

 

[Cricketpaw Cricketpaw]

'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread

.

Cricketpaw watched Dustystar with a wide, curious eye, doing her very best to sit still in one spot and failing miserably. Her limbs wiggled with barely contained energy as she listened, ears perked forward in attention. Bengt was staying, at least for now. That was okay, good, even. Meadowpaw seemed a little less sad lately, and that made Cricketpaw glad. Plague, gosh, what a weird name it was, she was staying too. That made sense. The pregnant queen didn't look like she should be wandering far at all, and here she had food, safety, and Meadowpaw to look after her. After kitting... well, she could decide her path then, right?

Her gaze wandered briefly, scanning the faces of her Clanmates before drifting back to Dustystar. She gave a solemn little nod, even if she could still feel Blossomtail's gaze prickling the back of her head. She stuck her tongue out, just a little bit!! in playful rebellion.

And then Dustystar called Fowl forward. Cricketpaw blinked, straightening immediately, her one eye going wide. Apprentice! Fowl was becoming an apprentice!! And Hollowmumble was going to mentor him! " Go Fowlpaw! Go Fowlpawww, wooo! " she whooped, leaping in place with a bright, sparkly grin. She only just remembered herself enough to cast a sheepish, flustered grin toward Dustystar in apology. But she couldn't help it. Her heart was thudding with joy.

No matter what comes to us, I'm sure WindClan will come out on top.

The words stirred something warm and fierce in her chest. Her smile turned proud, her eye squinting with determination as she gave Dustystar a strong, silent nod. She believed it too. Deep in her bones. And obviously it was because her lucky stones had helped. WindClan hadn't gotten hurt at the Gathering, after all! Even if Dustystar had seemed kind of grouchy the day after… Hm. She'd have to ask about that.

Later.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

5 MOONS

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WINDCLANNER

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bio

 

[ROOSTERTUFT]

x

At the call for a meeting, Roostertuft makes his way over carefully only to sit in the back of the crowd not wishing to get caught up in the middle or the front, and he settles down onto his haunches to focus his gaze in the direction of Dustystar. His ear flicks to the side as she mentions the gathering and how they would all need to start taking the borders seriously so that they didn't end up in a situation where their throats would be tore out by the neighboring clans, that seems simple enough... even the youngest apprentice could understand the logic behind that. A part of him wishes that it didn't need to be that brutal when making the mistake in crossing a border or if it had been intentional, he tries not thinking about it for too long instead choosing to glance to the side only to catch the sight of his apprentice, and he motions for her to draw closer.

"Y'heard that, right?" Roostertuft says to @gorsepaw with a quirk of his eyebrow and gives a curt nod in the direction of Dustystar but he doesn't take his gaze off of the young moggy for a single second, "You're to stay at my side at all times, I don't want you to go galavanting carelessly onto our neighbors territory, got it? Let's try avoiding another incident... the other clans don't take kindly to wanderers." His voice hushed so that the conversation would simply be between himself and his apprentice, he allows for the words to sink in before turning his attention back to the Windclan leader to listen to the rest of her announcements. Ah right, the three new faces that had stumbled upon Windclan and his ears angle forward wondering if Plague would stick around after the arrival of their kits or if Bengt would make his own departure when his injury heals.

The third new face, Fowl, is welcomed into the clan by Dustystar and they're given the same traditional 'paw at the end of their name before being given to Hollowmumble as their new mentor. The dark tabby would do well in training Fowlpaw, he's certain as he gives a small nod in her way and tunes in on the next words that are leaving the gray molly's jaws stating that Windclan would be fine considering they had faced several hardships to which he silently agrees with.

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.

 

[Swiftwatcher]

SWIFTWATCHER OF WINDCLAN

Swiftwatcher stepped forward, yellow eyes steady as he listened to Dustystar´s voice rise across the clearing. There was thoughtfulness in his expression, a quiet calculation that came from seasons of watching how quickly peace could shift. More loners had come. More wandering souls seeking a place to settle. And though his heart was kind, welcoming by nature... he prayed none of them carried ill intentions. WindClan had suffered enough. His gaze flicked through the crowd, searching with subtle urgency, until he spotted Eclipsepaw. The tension in his chest eased as he offered a small, approving nod in the apprentice´s direction, warmth stirring in his eyes. That one would grow well.

When Dustystar called out Fowl's new name, Swiftwatcher lifted his voice with the others, cheering along, a low purr rumbling in his chest. Hollowmumble would guide the young one well, he was sure. His gaze drifted to the medicine den where Bengt rested, and then toward the nursery, where Plague lingered. The soft curve of her belly told him it wouldn't be long before kits came tumbling into their lives. And if fate was kind, perhaps they'd grow close with his grandchildren.

...If they stayed.

Flicking his ear once, he took in the clan around him, old and new, kin and stranger, and dipped his head, a silent vow glinting in his golden eyes.

WindClan would endure.

I'll be your light, your match, your burning sun ——･ﾟ✦​

･ﾟ✦ —— I'll be the bright, in black that's making you run

 

[Weaselchirp Weaselchirp]

I'm a young soul in this very strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit 'bout what is true and fake
But why all this hate? Try to communicate
Finding trust and love is not always easy to make

.

Weaselchirp sat, eyes wide and orange like lanterns in the dusk, fixed on her leader with a pensive air. Cloverpaw was growing... Oh, growing so fast... And Weaselchirp couldn't help the fond hum deep in her chest. It was endearing, watching her blossom. Not just one apprentice now, but two! She had the joy of teaching both Cloverpaw and Snailpaw all the strange, sacred wonders of the underground: how to brace a tunnel wall, how to hunt by echo and touch, how to listen for the whisper of water before you accidentally dug your way into it. It was comforting, really. She wasn't alone in loving the tunnels anymore.

There were others, too, Peonypaw, who was clever and quiet with a good ear for depth. Staggerdance, with his focused calm. Molewhisker, too. So many friends with paws in the earth. It made her smile for a long moment before her attention returned to the present.

Oh!!

Her ears perked at the sound of a new name, Fowlpaw! And Hollowmumble… why, Hollowmumble had an apprentice now too! Weaselchirp's eyes lit up like morning light glinting through roots. " Well, look at you, Hollow dear! " she chirped, rising to her paws with a cheerful swish of her tail. " Your very own apprentice to teach and skip across the moor with! It's much fun, you know. You'll teach them all about hunting in the heather, I'm sure of it. " A soft purr thrummed in her chest before her gaze drifted back to Dustystar, her whiskers twitching in idle thought. Oh, right. Things were still complicated… weren't they? Because of the Gathering. But that wasn't WindClan's fault. No, no. That mess belonged to the others. Whatever dust they'd kicked up, it wasn't WindClan's to choke on.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

66 MOONS

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WINDCLANNER

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bio

 

[GOLDENROAR]

A meeting to address the gathering, and the new faces in camp. Truthfully, Goldenroar didn't have a huge opinion on any of the newer faces besides Bengt- the tom could still prove to be trouble in time, given the attitude that Goldenroar knew he wore. Like you're any different. Hypocrite. A bitter thought in his mind for sure, but he ignores it in favor of joining the crowd where Dustystar has called it. His ears perked gently as Dustystar reinforced the border rule, and he nodded in agreement. No need for repeats of history.

She briefly touches on Bengt and Plague. A queen who needs a place to raise her kits, and a cat that would otherwise die without treatment. Vision shifted towards Bengt, who's speaking to Meadowpaw, looking on for a long moment. A sigh leaves him, deciding to try and leave that subject alone, else he'll run his own mind in circles. Goldenroar listens as Fowl becomes Fowlpaw, as Hollowmumble is given an apprentice. He cheers for Fowlpaw, given the apprentice is now named, and looks at Hollowmumble again. "You'll do fine. Promise." He tells her, smiling briefly at her despite being tucked away.

He doesn't necessarily comment or give a boost of confidence like Dustystar does, instead giving her a knowing look and a nod of his head- lending her back the strength that he had take during the Gathering.

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

• "speech"
  

• 

• GOLDENROAR he/him, windclan deputy, thirty nine 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 dandelionpaw
  ☆ 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.
  
  ☆ mini by tasmagoric, ref image by dallas (yours truly!)

 

[gorsepaw]

☼ . ° ✦

Gorsepaw hated the way nightmares wormed their way into her dreams. One minute she is rolling in hay happily in the barn, and the next she's watching Alder dragged away by a flaming cat. That one was old, and she was used to it at this point. When she shot up panting in fear from that one, she could usually calm herself down pretty quickly.

The newer one, and the one she only felt anger at, was watching the deputy of ThunderClan drag her over the border to split her belly open like he did with that SkyClanner. She had been so close to that fate. Not only did he creep in the corners of her mind, but so did Juniperstar and the rest of her filth. Every shadowy place in her dreams had ThunderClanners stalking and waiting to finish her off. Granted, she didn't keep any scars from it, but the latent fear kept its claws in her.

Her nose wrinkled and eyes narrowed at her mentor's gentle push. Roostertuft was doing his best, but it didn't matter. She still couldn't shake the anger at herself and at their neighbors. "Yeah, yeah. I heard ya," she grumbled, ducking her head and pinning her ears. She wouldn't need reminding again.

The apprentice sat as patiently as she could through the rest of the meeting before sighing. "Can we go now?" She can't hide her impatience in her tone. All she wanted to do was run the prairie and forget all of this.

✧ ° . ✶ . ° ✧

ooc information

• ooc: —
• 

  NIP GORSEPAW — SHE/HER ･ 6 MOONS ･ APPRENTICE & WINDCLAN ･ PENNED BY MUDDLY!

  silver tabby with high white and yellow-green eyes. a grumpy, independent she-cat that prefers to bite before she speaks. raised by alder. adopted sibling to icepaw and pebblepaw.