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Post by Kaeldra on Jun 4, 2021 23:45:33 GMT
Shellspots || Queen || 38 moons Shellspots sighed as she padded through the trees, having crossed the river into the denser forest on the other side. It had been two sunrises since the apprentice ceremony, and already she was starting to regret her decision. They seemed to have endless energy, and since she tried to train the three of them together most of the time it was incredibly easy for them to get distracted. So today she had left them in Miku's care while she took a much needed walk to clear her mind and re-energize her for the next training session. And of course, there was always the hope that she would run into another cat while she was out who she could perhaps convince to help her wrangle the three apprentices. Miku had told her of a pair of toms she had run into a few moons previously in the forest, though she wasn't sure if they were still around.
She had passed into a new area while lost in her thoughts, and saw a cluster of stones piled on top of each other, not unlike the ones by the shore where she had found Canary. What caught her attention, though, was the fluffy ginger tom peering down into the holes between the rocks. Perhaps this was Flare, one of the cats Miku had told her about? His pelt stood out like a beacon, and she wondered what he was trying to do. Is he hunting? If so, she was sure he wasn't having much luck. It wouldn't hurt to introduce herself, would it?
"Hello there!" She called out softly, not wanting to scare any prey on the off chance he'd found some. "Would you be named Flare, by any chance?"
ulla
Riley Hope you don't mind a quick reply! My muse is strong today apparently :'D
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Riley
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347 Posts
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Post by Riley on Jun 5, 2021 1:37:32 GMT
No. No. Nothing there either. Flare was starting to get frustrated, and as his father had often been fond of telling him when he was young, frustration made cats stupid. As was demonstrated when Flare stuck his entire head down a hole to see if there was anything further down he could fish out.
"Hello there! Would you be named Flare, by any chance?" The unknown voice caused Flare to startle, and he bonked the top of his head rather hard on the roof of the cave. Various curses exploded from him, the kind of stuff his mother would swat him for, and Flare backed out of the small cave already rubbing his head.
The she-cat that had called him was one he hadn't met before, and that was an increasing rarity. Slightly smaller than him with silver spotted fur. Flare had to think if he'd ever at least SEEN her around, but no. No he hadn't. So how had she known his name? Curiosity warred with caution, and Flare eyed her warily but inched closer. "That depends entirely on why and how you know that."
Kaeldra
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Post by Kaeldra on Jun 5, 2021 3:04:09 GMT
Shellspots || Queen || 38 moons Shellspots winced as the tom jumped and hit his head on the stones above, spooked by her sudden call. Maybe I should have waited until he saw me to say hello. She could hear him grumbling before he turned to respond, and imagined that knock to the head hadn't been too pleasant. He studied her for a long moment before evading her question, and Shellspots bit back a laugh. So she had found Flare after all. Why else would he be so reluctant to tell her his name?
"I'm sorry for startling you. That must have hurt," she apologized, angling her ears toward the rocks he'd been sniffing at only a moment prior. "My name is Shellspots. Miku, a Clanmate of mine, told me she met you some time ago. I'm trying to rebuild RiverClan and she said you might be a good fit if you were still in the area."
The silver queen eyed him speculatively. He certainly looked like a strong, healthy cat... though perhaps not the brightest if his hunting techniques were anything to go by. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt, though.
ulla
Riley
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Post by Kaeldra on Jul 1, 2021 23:12:20 GMT
Shellspots || Queen || 38 moons Shellspots watched as the tom’s whole expression changed at the mention of their mutual friend. He seemed delighted at the fact they knew each other, then paused as he realized his sudden increase in volume may have attracted unwanted attention.
“Into the trees?” Shellspots said incredulously, watching as Flare launched himself effortlessly into the branches above and blinked down at her, obviously waiting for her to follow. She had to admit she wasn’t much of a climber; she had rested on low hanging branches of various trees, sure, but she didn’t make a habit of climbing much higher than that. She was a future RiverClan cat, after all! RiverClan cats swam, they didn’t climb... Nevermind that she hadn’t practiced her swimming much either.
Even so, she wouldn’t let herself show cowardice. The she-cat narrowed her eyes in determination. She backed up a few paces, planning to get a running start as the orange tom had done, and flung herself at the trunk. She sunk her claws into the bark on contact, and hauled herself awkwardly up to join Flare on his branch. Panting lightly, she turned to look at him.
“Do you spend much time in the trees like this?” She wondered aloud. While it was embarrassing to have followed him so clumsily, perhaps this was a skill he could teach her to become better at if he joined their Clan.
ulla
Riley
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Riley
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Post by Riley on Jul 5, 2021 6:06:52 GMT
Perhaps he'd been too hasty in getting into the tree. Every cat he knew was at least an okay climber, including his siblings. To see the she-cat awkwardly get to his level was... painful, to say the least. Eventually she hauled herself onto his branch. She was panting but at least she wasn't TOO out of breath.
Shellspots, as she introduced herself, asked if he spent much time in trees, and Flare shrugged. "A fair amount, yeah. Most predators for cats are ground dwellers. Dogs and foxes and badgers. Meanwhile the only things cats really have to watch for in the trees are birds and other cats, and what bird is going to look in the TREES for prey?"
He shrugged again and laid down, naturally shifting his balance to stay comfortably connected to his perch. "So how's Miku doing? I haven't seen her in a while, not since she healed mine and a friend's wounds from fighting off some foxes. I was starting to get worried and was gonna start looking for her."
Kaeldra
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Post by Kaeldra on Jul 5, 2021 7:02:57 GMT
Shellspots || Queen || 38 moons Shellspots supposed he had a fair point. Perhaps it was careless of her to have put off brushing up her climbing skills for so long. She tried to copy his easy transition from sitting to laying down, and found that she could keep her balance a bit more easily with her weight spread along the branch.
"Miku is doing well! I'll pass along your concern, I'm sure she'll be glad to hear you're still in the area. She told me of your injuries, how are you and your friend doing now? Nasty creatures, foxes." She didn't envy the toms one bit, though she was glad to see that Flare at least seemed mostly recovered.
"It's been busy, so I suppose she hasn't had much of a chance to venture out this way. The camp still needs so much work, and now that I'm training three apprentices myself it's unfortunately falling to her to do most of it. That's actually why I'm here; I was hoping to find some other adult cats to join the Clan and help lighten the burden a little. We're both about at our wit's end." Shellspots sighed, casting a hopeful glance his way. If he didn't pick up on her hints she'd ask him outright if he'd like to join her Clan, though she wanted to put some feelers out first to gauge his response.
ulla
Riley
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Riley
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347 Posts
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Post by Riley on Jul 12, 2021 4:44:26 GMT
Flare was ready to grab her by her scruff if she fell, but Shellspots was already settled on their branch. He relaxed his own muscles and wrapped his tail idly around the branch, the better to feel the vibrations if something started climbing up after them. He purred at the news of Miku and answered, "We're both much better! To be honest I was the worse one off. We'd caught a squirrel that we were going to bring back to my family and the foxes found us. I told Noctus to climb a tree to stash the squirrel while I distracted them and, well, they did not take kindly to it."
He turned to show her the three long scars that parted his shoulder fur. They went from the top of his shoulder blade to about the height of his belly. Then he faced forward again and tried to project how serious it had been. "If Noctus hadn't dragged me to Miku, and if Miku hadn't known what to do, I'd have died. My family would never have known what happened to me either, and I can't ever thank or repay either of them enough."
Shellspots went on about the so-called 'troubles' in her so-called 'Clan', and he glanced in the direction of the river when she gestured with her tail. If she thought keeping her apprentices under control NOW was hard, wait until newleaf came and the river flooded. He frowned a little at the thought. "I hope you have a backup spot for your Clan when the warmth comes and the snow melts. The weather changes are unpredictable at the worst of times in this area. One day you're asleep with your tail over your nose, next you're flailing in a tail-length depth of water because the river ice melted overnight and it flooded."
He wondered even where their camp was. How big was it? Did they all huddle in one den for warmth or were they being traditional like Suzie's stories said and each slept in different dens? He couldn't imagine how lonely that would be. And cold! Flare unconsciously shivered and ruffled his pelt. "How old are the apprentices? How far into their training have they gotten? Have you explored the territory at all to choose safe havens if necessary? If not, I can come around to show you guys some good spots. Maybe teach whoever wants to learn how to climb, just in case."
Kaeldra
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Post by Kaeldra on Jul 17, 2021 20:33:53 GMT
Shellspots || Queen || 38 moons Shellspots winced at the nasty scars on Flare’s side, and thanked StarClan once again that such a capable healer had chosen to join her Clan. And this Noctus... He might be a valuable ally as well, given his willingness to go to such lengths for his friend. She was about to ask where the other tom lived, in hopes of getting a chance to go see him as well, but Flare suddenly piped up with concerns about their camp and how the apprentices were being trained.
“That’s certainly a worry of mine,” she agreed, a little prickly at the fact he seemed to think she hadn’t considered these things. What kind of leader does he take me for? But she appreciated the warning all the same, and supposed it was kind of him to worry. “There is an old willow tree in camp that we can use as an anchor in case of a flood, and there’s a spot closer to the twolegs that would be suitable as a temporary camp until the water goes back to a normal level. Climbing lessons wouldn’t be a bad idea, though, in the case we can’t get there fast enough.” The queen flicked her tail pensively before continuing. “I would love to hear your input, you seem to know much about the area. And if you’re willing to teach my Clan how to climb better, that would be very appreciated.” She gave him a smile, glad he seemed open to at least visiting their camp.
“They’re all seven moons old,” Shellspots said, thinking of the excitable apprentices. “They just started training two sunrises ago, so we’re still very much focusing on the basics. Hunting crouches, how to stalk prey, and the like. We haven’t done much exploring beyond our camp and the river, as we don’t want to spread ourselves too thin. Once we have more warriors in our ranks we’ll be able to send out scouting patrols for that sort of thing, but until then I’m focusing on training for the most part.”
She paused, wondering if she should be so brazen, then decided to just get it over with. The worst he could do was say no.
“Would you be interested in joining us permanently? We would appreciate your help with building the Clan, and once we’re more established we could offer protection in numbers from things like those foxes you encountered. Your friend would be welcome too, of course,” she quickly tacked on, wondering if inviting the other tom would sway Flare’s choice at all.
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Riley
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Riley
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Post by Riley on Jul 25, 2021 3:34:53 GMT
Flare pictured the river as he knew it, trying to think of a place where there was a willow tree sturdy enough to support a Clan's worth of cats in case of flooding. To be honest there were quite a few, but the only one he could think of that would also be suitable for a camp was the island in the middle of the river.
He unconsciously nodded to himself. That would be a good spot for sure, once it was fixed up. Flare hadn't actually seen it beyond the overgrown shelter of reeds and rushes, so he couldn't speak much for inside. Given how out of shape the barrier had gotten though, he wouldn't be surprised if the inside was just as bad.
Shellspots went on, talking about the apprentices. Only seven moons old, huh? Flare thought of his siblings. They were all 10 moons old and, while still excitable in some cases, he thought their training was far enough along he could focus on teaching others. He was just about to offer more help when Shellspots finally came out with it and offered to let him join, extolling the good points of joining a Clan. "I know how Clans work. I've heard the stories, same as you obviously have. Four Clans, as united by their code as they were divided by it, protecting the young and old and sick."
He thought it over in his head. Being part of a Clan, part of something bigger than just him and his family, had been his dream when he was younger. Now though... Now it wasn't his decision alone. Flare puzzled it out aloud. "I want to, you have no idea how much I want to... but I'd need to talk it over with my family. I share a den with my parents and my siblings, and if I do this, either I leave them forever or I drag them with me. Gale at least would follow me, I know that for sure. Spider I could probably talk over, maybe even my mother. My dad and my sister though... I'm not too sure about them. Dad's been a loner all his life, and I'm not sure how he'd feel about working together with others."
Melody would probably go wherever Jay went. As for Noctus, he didn't even want to discuss him. He'd pass on the news, of course. Even if Noctus didn't, his kits would be interested. He imagined little Lily, finally achieving her dream of being a real Clan cat, and smiled. "I'll pass along the invite to Noctus and his family too. I can't see him or his mate joining, but his kits would be good cats to join too."
Kaeldra Apologies for the wall of text.
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Post by Kaeldra on Jul 30, 2021 22:14:52 GMT
Shellspots || Queen || 38 moons The silver queen’s eyes glowed as Flare mentioned having to consult with his family before accepting her offer. She hadn’t realized that in asking him, she would potentially gain six new Clanmates. Of course, from the way he spoke, it seemed like some of them may not follow, but in the case even one or two did... What luck! Not wanting to seem overeager, Shellspots schooled her expression into one of calm understanding.
“Of course, I wouldn’t expect you to make such a big decision in a few heartbeats, especially when there is family to consider. You would all be very welcome in RiverClan, though I'm sure you'd want to take your time in talking it over.” Shellspots was stuck pondering on the idea of Flare’s siblings. His parents would be an asset, of course, but three more strong cats like Flare? The possibility was absolutely enticing. “What are your siblings like? I assume they know of the Clans, just as you do.”
Then Flare mentioned his friend -- Noctus was his name, apparently -- having family as well, and Shellspots sent a silent prayer of thanks up to the sky. While more kits would certainly be a strain in terms of training them all, if even some of Flare’s family joined that would ease the burden greatly. And after all, kits eventually grew into warriors. She wouldn’t purposefully turn away such an asset to her Clan simply due to a few moons of tough work.
“I would appreciate that, thank you! I’d love to meet him, even if he’s not sure about joining. It’s always better to have allies in the forest rather than enemies,” Shellspots laughed. “Why don’t we meet here again, three sunrises from now? You can give me your answer then,” the queen suggested. While she didn’t want to pressure the ginger tom into any hasty choices, she also didn’t want to delay in rebuilding the Clan.
ulla
Riley
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