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Post by silvy on May 30, 2015 16:29:30 GMT -4
Sunfoot had pushed back eating until he didn't think he could go much longer. He'd been doing his duties as normal and the growling in his stomach had only worsened. It even felt painful now. So once he'd gotten back into camp from a quick hunting patrol with a few others, he made his way over to the freshkill pile and picked up a fat shrew. As soon as he sunk his teeth into it's scruff, the juiciness of it made his mouth water. Once he'd found a place to sit down in, he began to tuck in, ripping into it's flesh quickly and causing a few drops of blood to splatter on the ground nearby.
The ginger tom hadn't ate since the previous evening. It wasn't that long a time, but when you'd been running around, it made it seem like an age. When he'd finally finished, he looked up. The sky was going grey, the clouds swelling up. It would rain soon, he was almost sure of it. Really, he should go to his den to save himself catching greencough. But he didn't. It was nice, sitting there and watching the goings on of the clan. As he had guessed, he soon felt drops land on him and he let out a frustrated growl. It had been sunny a few hours ago. Wasn't it funny, how quick the weather could change! "Rain."
Yes, there he was, stating the obvious. Something he had done many times before now. It was almost habit for him to do so.
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Post by LYSSA on May 30, 2015 20:36:34 GMT -4
harestar crouched in the shadow of the tallrock, her dark eyes half-closed. the camp was quiet. most cats were hunting and patrolling, or training their apprentices. the only sounds within camp were the hushed voices of cats as they shared tongues and freshkill.
her gaze roamed over the camp as she lay there, content for the moment to watch the everyday going-ons of clan life with a gleam of pride in her eyes. windclan had survived another leafbare and were thriving. soon they would grow fat on rabbits and moorland prey again as the days turned warmer. if the clan was lucky, more kits would be born and they would be graced with a future generation of warriors. perhaps harestar herself would even have another litter. her own kits were ready to become apprentices, and the clans had long been at peace. if there were any time for harestar to have more kits, it would be now.
a familiar red and white pelt caught harestar's eyes. she turned her head, breaking out of her light reverie with a blink of her dark amber eyes, watching as her brother chose a shrew from the freshkill pile and settled down to eat his meal. a soft purr began to rumble in harestar's throat at sight of her littermate, and she was quick to rise to her paws and pad across the open camp.
she reached sunfoot as the first drops of rain began to fall on the camp. harestar flicked an ear, eyes lifting briefly to the sky. the clouds had appeared quickly, obscuring the sun behind a thick swath of grey. harestar welcomed the rain. it would drive prey from their burrows and usher along the newleaf growth.
harestar's eyes glimmered with amusement at her brother's words. "really? i hadn't noticed." the lean tabby settled down beside sunfoot, giving his shoulder a gentle lick in greeting. "how was hunting?"
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Post by silvy on May 31, 2015 12:48:19 GMT -4
He looked up at the sound of someone approaching and almost let out a sigh of annoyance until he realized who it was. Immediately he sat up just a little taller, holding his head high as he turned to look at his sister and his leader. "Good afternoon, Harestar. Hunting was fine. The rabbits were practically running into my paws. They were everything. Clearly they were getting too confident and didn't think we'd be around. How wrong they were. How wrong indeed."
The tom turned and looked towards the apprentice den, remembering when his two daughters were in there. Now they were warriors and he didn't get to see them all that often. But that didn't stop him from being ever so proud. Blossomfur and Petalheart meant everything to him. He'd always held them close to his heart. Perhaps been a bit too protective of them. Losing Snowface had been like losing his life. He couldn't help but fear that he might lose his children in the same way. It was why he dreaded the day that they came running over to him and announced that they were expecting kits. From when they'd been seven moons old, he'd made a deal of warning them the risks of having children. They had probably hadn't listened though. got to let them live their lives.
"How are the kits, anyway?"
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Post by LYSSA on May 31, 2015 14:00:15 GMT -4
the news of good hunting brought forth another loud purr from harestar. she would have to organize more hunting patrols. they would be foolish to not take advantage of plentiful prey. while windclan had not gone very hungry during leafbare - not more than they usually did, anyway - it would be good to have full bellies every day and having a well-stocked freshkill pile readily available. "this rain will help with hunting." the tabby commented with a skyward glance. large, fat raindrops were falling steadily from the sky now. "if it rains hard enough the burrows will flood, and prey will be driven out onto the moors." a twinge of worry pricked at harestar. it was true that rain would chase rabbits from their tunnels, right into windclan paws, but flooded warrens also meant drowned prey. a good rainstorm could wipe out the majority of a flourishing rabbit population, and the clan would go hungry.
breaking out of her troubled thoughts with a light shake of her head, harestar followed sunfoot's worried eyes to the apprentices den. harestar didn't have to wonder long what her brother was thinking about. the cream and white tabby leaned closer and gave sunfoot a gentle nudge. "stop worrying so much." harestar could understand where his concern came from. snowface's death had been a tragic loss; sunfoot had never truly recovered from the death of his beloved mate, but hovering over his daughters and worrying endlessly wouldn't help any of them in the long run. sunfoot needed to give his daughters the space they needed in order to grow as warriors and individuals.
"ready to become apprentices." harestar's eyes gleamed with a fierce pride at the thought of her own kits. the three were rapidly nearing their sixth moon and would be ready to be apprenticed any time now. harestar knew each would make a fine warrior. "i'm thinking about taking one of them on myself." harestar admitted. "it's been too long since i last took an apprentice. i miss it."
words: 336 tags: silvy
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Post by silvy on May 31, 2015 14:29:09 GMT -4
"Harestar, I cannot help but worry. A kit needs their mother to teach them on parenting and they didn't get to hear that kind of wisdom. What if they come to have their own kits and the same happens to them? What if it's an illness that's passed down to each generation? I don't think I can go through that grief again. Even if it doesn't take their lives right after, it could still take it later on when they're kits are a few moons old! Don't you see Harestar? You could have it as well! Maybe it'll take your life too!"
He fell silent then, breathing heavily after all of the talking. "I've got to tell them again that they can't have kits. It's too big of a risk to take. Petalheart and Blossomfur should live a happy life. Make it to retirement. You can't just expect me to sit here and allow for them to be claimed by our ancestors."
Then she said how she hadn't had an apprentice in such a long time and he closed his eyes in relief, glad to be able to change the subject. "I don't miss it," he told her. "Apprentices are such a pain. Even Petalpaw... no, we're not talking about them two now, if that's okay with you. It'll get me all wound up again. But you know what I'm saying don't you, my beloved sister? When they're fighting in the middle of the night. Or doing nothing but laughing all day long. I'm sure we weren't like that when we were apprentices."
Sunfoot shook his pelt, trying to get rid of the raindrops that were resting on it. He really wished he could go back in time. Where he could tell Snowface to take it easy whilst she was pregnant. She probably hadn't helped herself by insisting on going out of patrols. Perhaps her death was his fault. She might still be here. Or maybe I should have just refused when she begged me to have a litter with her... then we wouldn't have had Petalheart and Blossomfur... but...
- sorry about the really lame post <3
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Post by LYSSA on Jun 1, 2015 20:03:19 GMT -4
harestar had always known her brother was a bit of a worrier, but his words now troubled her. the tabby herself had gone over that sort of thing just after her kits were born. she had feared for their future as warriors, when they would have to fight in battles and defend windclan. there was sickness to worry about, too, and the threat of starvation in leafbare; there were fires and twolegs and dogs and monsters and a hundred other things that could kill a cat. but harestar's fears had been short lived; she knew she couldn't worry about such things, otherwise she would fail as both a parent and a leader.
"and you can't expect them to sit around and do nothing their entire lives, either." harestar pointed out. "a kit needs its mother, yes, but it needs its father as well. you must stand in snowface's place and warn them of possible dangers. you can't forbid them from taking a mate and having kits, or going off and fighting another clan." harestar thought her brother was acting like a fool, but she wasn't going to speak her thoughts aloud. as silly as sunfoot was acting, harestar loved and respected her littermate. "your daughters are warriors now, sunfoot. they're capable of making their own decisions. if you try to stop them from doing anything, they'll resent you. the life of a clan cat is full of danger. yes, we might die - but we might not. the likelihood of petalheart and blossomfur dying before their time is slim to none." harestar pressed closer to sunfoot, giving his ear a comforting lick.
harestar was glad to be rid of the topic at hand, though she was determined to make her brother see differently. they would have to have the conversation another time, when he wasn't so worked up at the thought of losing his beloved daughters. "i don't know, i think we were a pawful when we were apprentices." a purr of amusement rumbled in harestar's throat as her thoughts slid back into the past. "were were always getting into something, or getting way in over our heads with our latest adventure." harestar stretched out a foreleg and began to lick her paw. "like most apprentices. i just hope my three don't get into too much trouble." having a mother for clan leader was no doubt hard, and she hoped her kits didn't think they were going to get any special treatment because she was leader. harestar was a fair, just cat and would punish her kits accordingly should they deserve it. she just prayed it wouldn't affect their relationship in any way.
"you should mentor one of them." harestar's amber eyes lifted from where she was giving her paw a thorough washing. "it would be good for you to have something on your mind other than your daughter's lives." the tabby's face was serious. "there's no cat i would trust more to mentor my own kits than you, sunfoot. you're their uncle and you're a fine warrior, i'd be honoured to have you teach them everything you know."
words: 518 tags: silvy
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