SkyClan Journey WITH OPENED EYES ౨ৎ encounter

[arabesque]

Wearily, Arabesque watches her siblings eat. It had taken the better part of the day to track down a scrap of prey, feeling longer still in the cold and the dense semi-mountain mist, but it felt worth it now. Yeah, seeing the little ones inhale the food—slow down, don't choke, she cautions them—it's definitely worth it. The kits, bellies plump with the meal and eyes drowsy, climb into a pile of black-and-white fur and knock out, one of her siblings drooling on another one's head. Ara is just settling in, curling her black-quill tail around their slumbering bodies and preparing for an uneasy doze, when she hears it.

Pawsteps. Voices.

Her eyes fly open and Ara gets carefully to her paws, murmuring, stay here, pumpkin, stay in the nest to one of the sleepy kittens. A cold ball of fear-shame sits heavily at the base of her throat, willing her shoulders forward until she folds in on herself so many times she disappears. Instead, the girl squares her shoulders and creeps out of their makeshift den, trying not to grimace as the frost slicking the earth burrows into her white forepaws. She slowly hooks her swannish neck around the solid slab of rock that makes up one wall of their den, inching forward until...

Dammit! Ara had been fully planning on slowly, expertly slinking around until she determined the source of the sound—instead, a few faces in various states of surprise face her the minute she peers out from behind the rock. Well, if they think she's too scared to face them, they're wrong—they're wrong! She won't let these strangers hurt her siblings, even if they look bigger, and older, and—whatever! If they want to get to the kits, they'll have to go through Ara first. That's the point.

Unfortunately for her, one of her siblings picks that exact moment to meander sleepily out from the crevice in the rocks Ara squeezes through with their prey each day. Ara swivels, muttering snap-quick,

" I told you to stay in the den, chickie— "

But then they're all piling out, three lumps of baby pudge and sleepy eyes gathering drowsily around their big sister's hind paws, watching the SkyClanners with big round eyes. They're small and their fur is rumpled with sleep, sticking up in places, but they look a sight better than their guardian. Ara's shoulders bristle with aggression and her ribs nudge stubbornly against the mottled fur on her sides, feathery fur hanging in tangled tufts around her furrowed brow.

" Stay back! "

Ara snaps, shoulders creeping towards her ears as she widens her stance, bracing herself protectively in front of the cloud of mottled fur piled sleepily around her ankles. She lets her claws sink into the snow-touched ground, pulling her jaw into what she hopes is a grim expression of determination. She tries to cut an intimidating figure for her siblings' sake, hoping these strangers will leave them alone, but it's hard when the wind is burrowing frozen teeth into her thin limbs.

" You—You stay away from them! "

OOC :

One skinny teenager and three babies :3 End goal of the thread is for Ara & her sibs to join SkyClan!

౨ৎ

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[[SNOWVEIL]]

SNOWVEIL, 88 moons / SkyClan + Perm Queen
A lean silver black lynx point with milky blue eyes and many scars
Delights in listening to all that goes around, can be a bit gruff, will put you on your place
Tagging @arabesque

---

Snowveil couldn't have helped herself, finding her paws wandering the moment she had picked up the scent of another cat. There was a certain worry that clawed at her heart, the scent of kits clung to her.

Her ears swiveled attentively as she picked up the frantic cries from the she-cat before her. Her unseeing blue eyes faced the direction of the voice, a calm yet determined presence radiating from her. Despite the trembling tone of the stranger, Snowveil's voice remained steady, carrying a warmth that was both soothing and firm. "Careful, young one. We are not here to harm anyone, I promise." she reassured, her tail flicking gently. "We are SkyClan, journeying onward to a new home."

She paused, lifting her head slightly as her sensitive nose caught the faint, unmistakable scent of hunger. The desperation in the air was thick, clinging to the trembling she-cat and her kits. Snowveil's heart ached, but she didn't let it show. "Cherry." she called out, her tone soft but with the quiet authority of one who was used to being listened to. "Could you kindly give your freshkill to these cats in need?"

The tortie, Cherry, immediately bounded forward, mismatched eyes sparkling with understanding. She carefully laid the freshkill down, her voice gentle yet respectful as she stepped back. "Of course, Snowveil!" she meowed, giving a gentle look toward the she-cat in question and nodding before she stepped back into the group behind her.

Snowveil nodded approvingly in Cherry's direction, her focus shifting back to the distressed she-cat and the young one. "...Have it, please. For the young ones." she urged, the sincerity in her voice unwavering. She waited, her posture relaxed but attentive, giving the fragile family space to feel safe. Snowveil's calm assurance hung in the air, offering not just food, but the promise of safety and understanding. She prayed that Hawkstar would not mind her bold action, but... She fretted for the cats they had already met on their journey.

DON'T LET MY CALM FOOL YOU

there's fire underneath this snow

 

[Hawkstar]

HAWKSTAR, 59 moons / SKYCLAN LEADER
A long-legged short-furred seal point tortie with one electric-blue eye; heavily scarred
Mentoring ROSEPAW ; mother of STARLITPATH
Prone to corporate attitudes, harsh words, hazing practices ; generally morally dubious
Tagging "SCRAP"

---

Hawkstar loathed SkyClan's reputation among the gorge rogues and kittypets as a shelter for all. Too many times had Coffeestar allowed fools and soft-hearts within their ranks, cats who cared more about having fun and socializing than they did bettering the clan. It had been a fool's errand to persuade Coffeestar to not be so flippant about the blatant disrespect shown by the daylight warriors of her day ("remember, Hawkeye, you were once the same as them, what makes you any better?")

For seasons, Hawkstar had sworn that she would not be so reticent once her regime was established, had spat through bared teeth that warriors would have to earn every scrap and sideways glance she gave and they would be thankful for the chance... how foolish she was, to think that she would have any say in the respect given to her when her clan was still full of cats who gave away food to any half-starved beast they came across.

Electric blue finds the scrappy thing easily, and the leader's brow quirks up almost imperceptibly at the desperate ferocity. She was a tiny thing, tiny and full of malice - more like a cornered rat than a proper cat, but... maybe there was something about a cornered rat that Hawkstar could relate to in these times.

"Not a mother, surely." her voice is .... softer ... than she would've liked, her good eye drifting between starved child and little babes. No, no, this girl was far too young for such a thing. "That was good, very good, but not towards me. Never to me, girl. I'd sooner use you to feed my own kits than help yours if attitude is my thanks."

She leans her head closer to Snowveil's, tall ears brushing against her former mentor's scalp to help her pin-point the gesture, "Looks like a group of kits, none of them old enough to be on their own. How many kittens can you and Lostmoon care for at once, while moving?"

 

[Zuko]

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Where are their parents? The question hung over his shoulders as he watched the scene play out, shoulders tense and gaze probably harder than it needed to be. But he couldn't help how he felt. All of this was still so new to him, and the idea this it was commonplace for kids to be out here like this, discarded or orphaned– had what happened to Zuko happened to this girl, as well?

No way. There's too many of them. He had to draw the line there. His littermates hadn't been sent away with him when he'd fucked up, after all.

"Are you lost?"" he asked, noting that it wasn't impossible. The fog around here was really bad, and there was a good likelihood they're parents had gone off to hunt and just gotten lost in the wall of mist.
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skyclan apprentice - male - brown/orange tabby chimera ​

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[arabesque]

A cat advances—older, milky-eyed, soothing-voiced, but Ara bristles ever harder as her siblings clutter her hind paws, oblivious to the danger right in front of them. The words she says mean little to nothing to the young she-cat, who concerns herself only with survival until the next sunrise: SkyClan, journeying, Snowveil.

Suspiciously, she eyes the piece of prey that lolls groundwards from the strange tortoiseshell's maw. Even in the thick of leafbare, it looks a fair sight better than anything Ara has managed to wrangle herself, and yet …

" What's the catch? "

the bristling girl asks, one white paw shifting forward but not quite grasping the lump of fresh-kill. Her eyes narrow. There's always a catch, after all—painfully and rapidly, Ara has learned that nothing is free. A scraped paw for the day's catch, an empty belly for her siblings' full ones.

" What do you want? "

Sure enough, another cat steps forth, admittedly regal in the way Ara herself would like to be—high neck, raised brow. Attitude, she nearly chastises her, and Ara checks herself before she snaps something out, pulling her jaw tight until her fangs lock. Something about the way this one moves among the others says, careful, careful…

" Our mother's dead, "

she states flatly in answer to both the queenly cat and the sharp-eyed one lingering nearby, who looks closer to her age. No point mincing words, Ara thinks, or bluffing that their parents will be back soon. Her spiked hackles settle a little, and she sweeps her feathery tail soothingly over her siblings' backs.

" Has been for a couple moons now. "

OOC :

—

౨ৎ

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[starlitpath]

(˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗) "no catch right now, young one," bright eyes follow hawkstar's movements as the leader speaks softly with snowveil. aquas catching on arabesque, the tortie point offers a kind, but guarded look. he pads closer to the scene, sidling up beside his mother, tail tip dancing over the leader's back. "eat – you and your siblings need it." there is no way the girl will turn the food down, she seems too desperate. starlitpath tips their head, nudging the prey closer to the girl, who looks more spikepaw's age than any cat capable of taking care of themself. he imagines briefly his apprentice, goofball that he is, reduced to bones and fur, and furrows their brow.

"i am sorry about your mother," and she isn't lying. she is sorry, just as she is sorry about coffeestar's death if only for the sake of mousefang and his siblings. "we are skyclan, and this is our leader, hawkstar." she eyes her mother again, who still converses with snowveil. the strict point is not one to allow cats in without paying a price - this much has been made clear with her distaste of kittypets. still, they see something glint within their mother's gaze, a softness perhaps only hawkstar's own kin can detect. arabesque trembles with her siblings, and starlitpath wonders if skyclan's ruler sees her own children in their place.

LIKE CONSTELLATIONS ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ IMPLODING IN THE NIGHT

• // " #dcccf0"
• 
• STARLITPATH ★ HE / SHE / THEY, SKYCLAN WARRIOR. 19 MOONS, PENNED BY LAVS
  
  
  a shorthaired dilute calico point with low white and aqua eyes. short, thick fur decorates her frame, cream hued, swooping into a cowlick on her head. their face, paws, and tail are dappled with fawn and slate gray, broken through by speckles of white. a star shaped white splotch on their forehead offers them their namesake. eyes like ocean water, a deep aqua blue, pierce out of almond shaped sockets.

 

[[SNOWVEIL]]

SNOWVEIL, 88 moons / SkyClan + Perm Queen
A lean silver black lynx point with milky blue eyes and many scars
Delights in listening to all that goes around, can be a bit gruff, will put you on your place
Tagging mention of @LOSTMOON @Falconkit @Creamkit , talking to @Hawkstar and @arabesque

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Snowveil gave a soft snort, the lightest hint of amusement evident in the twitch of her tail tip. Hawkstar always had her way with words, and while Snowveil couldn't fault her for it, this young one certainly had attitude. She assumed the cat was young, her voice wasn't quite that of an adult, nor did it carry the weight of a mother. A kit in all but confidence.

When Hawkstar leaned in close, Snowveil turned her head slightly to listen more intently. A group of kits. None old enough to be without a caretaker. The young one before them might have been speaking boldly, but Snowveil could hear the weariness hidden beneath her defiance. This wasn't a warrior. This was a desperate child. Hawkstar's question about how they'd manage the group's movement caused Snowveil to frown briefly. Lostmoon was close to kitting; Creamkit and her sibling were already being carried by their parents. There was also the newfound kit, now nestled somewhere near Lostmoon. How many kits could they reasonably care for?

" I can carry one. " she finally offered, her tone steady. " But we'll need another cat, or maybe two depending on how much the scrawny one here can handle. " she added with the faintest twitch of her whiskers, tilting her head toward Hawkstar. " I think it's doable. " she concluded, listening as Zuko spoke. " If they choose the safety of the Clan over the uncertainty of the wild, that is. " Her voice carried a note of practicality, tempered by understanding. Then, in a lighter tone, she quipped. " But only if you'd allow it, oh dear leader. " a soft purr of amusement escaping her. A jest between mentor and apprentice, a flicker of warmth in a tense moment.

When the scrawny child spoke again and Starlitpath reassured her there was no catch to the prey, Snowveil finally lifted her head. " I understand your actions, child. " she meowed, her voice firm but not unkind. " But we don't want anything from you, other than to see you survive. It would be a shame for four young kits to lose their lives to the perils of the wild. "

She paused, unseeing blue eyes fixed toward the sound of the young cat's voice. Her ears twitched. " …Flatten those hackles, little one. We're not your enemy, unless you make us one. "

With a tilt of her head, she added: " What is your name? Let us introduce ourselves properly. "

DON'T LET MY CALM FOOL YOU

there's fire underneath this snow

 

[SWALLOWPAW]

swallowpaw's ears swivel and twitch, listening to the adults converse, shoulders tense. she adds three more young kits to her mental checklist, gaze peering cautiously to her mentor to gauge his feelings on these new additions. they couldn't, surely, and yet— skyclan had too. hawkstar is a proud, imposing king of skies but she doesn't spit on the code. any malnourished baby that toddles into their laps can't be ignored.

after countless days in the forest, and now the gorge, swallowpaw has begun to understand caring for people. there's a crazed look in the mottled girl's eyes, something that might appear threatening if she had the muscle for it. starlitpath put it bluntly, no catch right now... when this girl stops squaring her shoulders like that and get some fresh-kill in her, she'll be put to work.

"i'm sorry about your mom. but we can uhm, keep the kits safe." swallowpaw speaks up, voice as hesitant as ever. she casts out a lifeline towards the loner, under the impression that they're close in age and probably, tired of listening to adults decide her fate.

ʚɞ

 

[Rainchime]

Theres a commotion up ahead that Rainchime has unfortunately fallen victim to being too close to. A rogue, and her baby siblings. Hawkstar seems to take... a little bit of pity on the poor girl, and Snowveil is being good old Snowveil, soft and kind; it'd be admirable if Rainchime didn't feel her throat tighten up at the sight, her pelt prickle uneasily. You are a warrior... You cannot be scared of something that doesn't pose a threat to you.

But... The girl looks so scared and thin, hidden behind a guise of indignation. For a second, she doesn't think its fair that Starlitpath says no catch right now, but Rainchime has never been argumentative. She keeps her mouth shut, the only sign of displeasure is the swivel of her ears backwards... And even then, being such a skittish cat, it could easily be chalked up for something else. She just lingers there, awkwardly listening, much like Swallowpaw is.

She almost forgets shes not an apprentice anymore, waiting for her mentors call... She jerks forwards when Snowveil mentions help, despite how fast her heart beats in her chest, and offers a spluttered, "Uh-Uhm, whatever you need... need me to do, i'll help..." she swallows hard, trying to force her voice to sound less shaky to no avail. A sheepish look turns unto the loner protecting her siblings. "Um... Its... Um, very brave... To look after your siblings like that..." oh, Stars, that sounded lame.

 

[Fujimoto]

┍

It hadn't come across Fuji's mind before that they might come across other cats on their route to their new home. He had imagined their interactions would be between rumbling monsters and sneaky foxes. Or bumbling badgers and packs of dogs. But not another cat, which seemed far more likely than the others he feared for. But if they were to interact with another cat, he would also not pause to think of the possibilities that the stranger could be benevolent. Or in this case, incapable of any harm. This molly appeared roughed up from the burden of responsibility, telling by the three smaller bodies surrounding her back legs.

We can't just leave them out in the cold! Fuji trusted Hawkstar would make the right choice under the code. Even if Arabesque was a bit more grown, her siblings could not be neglected from the care of a warrior.

It does not surprise him when the gateway is opened, and Snowveil began to delegate the care for the kits naturally. "We can each take a kit, Rainchime." Fuji piped up helpfully, nudging her shoulder gently. "If the miss doesn't mind, of course. My name's Fujimoto- but most my friends just call me Fuji." What a spitfire she was! Even with so many bones visible from her fur, she was ready to protect her siblings with every ounce of bravery- how admirable.

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