PLOTS NOW OPEN. Welcome, travelers! After an exciting launch, we are excited to announce our new Seasonal Arc for Leaffall, including auditions for Harbingers and new Catalyst Threads to sign up to.
WEATHER
🍂
Leaf-Fall
Year 01 — Fall Moon This season is the wettest time of the year, with the most rain falling. The moisture is bringing out all sorts of moss and fungus. Fog is often dense in areas. The leaves are magnificent colours of auburns and golds. The salmon are running upstream now, and are plentiful. Temperatures vary, but it tends to get no warmer than 51°F/11°C and can get as low as 23°F/-5°C.
Auto Skip Timer — 72 hours Synopsis — An early morning meeting between Clans at the Fallen Cedar. Who knows how this will end? Content Warnings — N/A Realm Events — N/A Posting Order — Cherrydawn, Cottonpaw (Elkstar for like 2 posts)
The air on his body was a little cool, tasting of early morning dew. Cherrydawn peered up at the lightening sky, glad that he was able to get to the Fallen Cedar before the heat really hit. The sun hadn't quite risen, so it really did feel nice. The red and white warrior stretched out on the branch he was lounging on, a private victory for himself. He'd been able to shake off his normally very stubborn leader for once. Unfortunately for Goosestar, Cherrydawn was equally as headstrong and refused to stop his nighttime wanderings. It helped calm him, and he felt closer to StarClan that way.
He padded gingerly through the amalgamation of thin forest grass and thick plains grass, sniffing gingerly along the border. Yellow eyes were sharp and watchful for any signs of SummitClan nearby. So far, all he could smell was the strong claiming scent they laid down when they usually did border patrols. For good measure, Cherrydawn swiftly renewed the markings on TimberClan's side. Just to show the other clan that they were definitely on guard and always watching. Cherrydawn always was. It was something his lovely mentor had passed down to him.
Hrm.
So far, so good. Aw, bless it. He just jinxed himself. The deputy shook out his fur viciously, letting out an annoyed 'mrrp!' as he did so. He still wanted to warm himself on the tree as the sun rose, and the camp was a fairly decent walk back. Cherrydawn crept cautiously onto one of the indented knots of the cedar tree, inadvertently giving a rusty purr at the cool interior. Carefully, he tucked his paws right beneath his chest so that it was easy to jump up if he needed to.
Cherrydawn half-closed his eyes, letting his half-purr deepen as he lay in the dip.
cottonpaw was six moons, and the world was still new.
of course, within a few moons, the initial excitement would likely fade. but right now, he took every opportunity he could to slip from the comfort of his nest to emerge into the vastness of summitclan's territory, spending his days wandering and watching the land below. of course, he more often than not did this with his mentor's watchful eye, but the young cat had grown crafty and stealthy in his apprenticeship. anyone who had known elkstar in his apprenticeship likely would've rolled their eyes if they knew, unsurprised that his son had inherited the older tom's habit of pushing the warrior code.
either way, he didn't think anyone would understand his need to leave the camp. now that he had access to the world beyond, the camp felt like it confined him. sometimes, it felt like he got so stir-crazy that his paws itched with the need to walk. he hadn't perfected his ability to slip from camp yet. he was getting better, sure, but there was still a feeling of risk that gave the little tom a rush upon stepping out, knowing the entire territory was in his paws' reach.
right now, he found himself wandering towards the borders. it wasn't somewhere he went often, mostly because he was well aware of the risks that came with it, but today, his curiosity won out. as long as he stayed on his side of the border, it should be fine. he was safe as long as he was on his side. no cat from any other group would risk crossing the borders to get to some random curious apprentice... right? all he could imagine was that they'd likely admonish him for being so risky, or tell him to scram back to his clan, which he'd more than happy to do in the face of a spitting patrol.
as the tom neared the border, he took a deep breath of morning dew and the odd melting together of scents at the border. it was clear his own cats had been here, but the other smell... was unusual. as of yet, he hadn't had the chance to meet a timberclan cat. he was vaguely aware of their scents, as their mentor had taken him around the territory not that long ago. but, his curiosity got the better of them. they didn't smell like trees... they smelled like... something that wasn't tree-related. which was kinda weird. he imagined they would've smelled like trees. but, he guessed he didn't exactly smell like mountains, so who was he to judge?
standing at the edge of the border, a sudden "mrrp" pushed him from the depths of his thoughts, his fur suddenly on-end as he turned towards the source of the sound. he crept closer, suddenly noticing... a very large, red cat. one he hadn't seen before. his golden-green eyes were as large as the sun itself, his fur still puffed out. he gave his chest a few quick licks, creeping a bit closer, but making sure to keep the border between them. who was this? he never met a timberclan cat before, and he definitely wasn't expecting to anytime soon, but this was pretty cool!
he stared for a few seconds before perking up, tipping his head a little.
"uh... hi! good morning! how're you!" he finally chirped, trying to think about what elder cats might say on patrol. he took a seat, curling his feathery tail around him. "how're the chipmunks running? my mentor said timberclanners hunt them all the time."
cottonpaw summitclan apprentice • he/him • 7 moons "i've come back changed, i can feel it in my bones" .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
The moment he heard a cheerful, if slightly hesitant, "Uh... hi! Good morning! How're you!" his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. The fur along his fine prickled faintly, tail bushing out to nearly twice it's size as he leapt to his feet. Who- what- his suddenly fuzzy vision began to clear until he stared at the very young face of what could be no more than a kit out of the nursery. Or he could be a very young apprentice. "How're the chipmunks running? My mentor said Timberclanners hunt them all the time."
What? What was this innocent little thing doing so far from home? Such a question could only be from the maw of a kit. Cherrydawn deliberately sat down on his side of the log, still staring at the smaller cat with a slightly less stunned expression. "You," he started, tongue thick in his mouth. How did one speak when they'd been scared so silly, by a kit no less? Possible apprentice, he reminded himself sternly. "Are you old enough to be outside of camp?" The concern in his strained voice was very much real, uncertain if SummitClan had a tradition to let their older kittens to get to the border without supervision.
Then he remembered the question about the chipmunks and he clamped his slightly open jaw firmly shut. "The chipmunks are... running good?" he echoed uncertainly. "Er. I prefer peregrine myself." The ginger and white tomcat curled his considerably less bushy tail around his paws, ears tight against his skull. He looked off to the side, more towards SummitClan territory than directly at the kit/apprentice than anything. Cherrydawn felt embarrassed for reacting the way he did, in front of a member of SummitClan no less! "You, uh. You may call me Cherrydawn."
The deputy shook his head, clearing his mind of confused and erratic thoughts. "How is prey running in SummitClan? Is everyone doing alright?"
as the other cat leapt to his feet, cottonpaw startled slightly, tail standing straight up like an exclamation point. oh! he had surprised him. maybe he should've made his approach more obvious? or maybe he should've scented more carefully before approaching... he initially missed the other tom's scent in the sharp tang of timberclan's border marker. cottonpaw sat as the other tom did, shifting from forepaw to forepaw. and then, the other tom asked a question he wasn't prepared for.
"i am!" he piped, "i'm an apprentice! my dad made me one a quarter-moon ago." of course he'd slip in the mention of his father. he was leader now, after all, and it had only been a little while! maybe it was a silly thing, looking forward to bragging about his father's accomplishments, but not every cat could say their father was the clan leader!
"...do i not look like one?" he squeezed in at the end, seemingly genuine in his concern. he thought he presented himself well enough!
"peregrine? like the bird? they're pretty good, i've always liked bird the best. i didn't know timberclan had them!" cottonpaw piped. he definitely had a lot to ask this cat. that was, if cherrydawn was willing to answer any of his questions about timberclan's territory. they definitely had more trees than summitclan. he wondered if it was nice, strolling beneath their boughs. was it odd, not seeing the stars so clearly? as the other tom introduced himself, he pulled himself up a bit, attempting to look older and more mature than he was.
"it's nice to meet you, cherrydawn. i'm cottonpaw." he purred, giving the elder tom a respectful nod. "and prey has been running well! i figured i'd do a little hunting while i was out here, but i keep getting distracted. that, and i'm not exactly the best at it, yet. it's not the sneaking that's the problem, it's the pouncing. i keep jumping too far." of course the sneaking wouldn't be the problem, given he was out here alone, without a mentor. it figured that, despite his pale coat, the tom's stealth was surprisingly good.
"anyway, if i can ask, what's it like in timberclan? i've only ever lived with a lot of tall mountains and open sky. i can't imagine what it must be like having so many trees blocking it out. does it smell like trees everywhere? i was expecting the border to smell more like pine or something, but it smells like... i dunno. it smells less tree-y than i thought it would. is climbing a tree different than the mountains?" well, the rambling had to come out at some point, and it seemed now was the time for the tom to spout all of his timberclan-related questions.
Of course, the apprentice's father was Elkstar. Now that he examined the fawn-colored apprentice with a more scrutinizing look, he shared many of the feisty leader's fine features and elegant feathering. His claws extended briefly into the bark, giving into the urge to stretch his spine upwards. When he flattened his legs out in front of him, the rush of endorphins made him feel both buzzy and light-headed. Briefly, he glanced back up at the slowly lightening sky. It was still a little cool, but he could feel a little warmth seeping through the tree boughs behind him.
"I was just taken off guard," he soothed, running a paw over a ginger ear. "Our youngest apprentices are told not to wander near the borders; we don't want them accidentally crossing the borders until they fully recognize where the markings are. I'm usually in charge of making sure there are rules implemented for training, and overseeing their assessment process." His whiskers twitched thoughtfully, head tilted to the side.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Cottonpaw," he finally proclaimed after a few moments. "Occasionally we can get peregrine. It's not that they're uncommon, it's because they're really fast."
Pouncing problems? Ooh, this was interesting. "Pouncing is all in the legs and how much weight you push against the ground," Cherrydawn began, vision blurring as he began to imagine a hunting scenario. "You don't want to push too hard, but you also don't want to slip and fall. Say you're hunting a mole. Too much can overshoot it, too little and you can smash your chin into the ground. You want to be able to control the amount of weight and energy into the push." Maybe it was time he took on another apprentice. He missed teaching.
"I love my Clan," the ginger-and-white deputy said honestly, one ear flickering backwards. He lay into the log, settling his weight firmly down on his territory's side. He'd make sure the apprentice didn't try to cross. "We do a lot of tree climbing. It's not that we can't see the stars- you can climb to the tops of the trees if you wanted to." It was something he frequently did, after all. "I suppose it smells like trees everywhere, but after a rain it smells like fresh grass and you can practically taste the morning dew. Everything is soft, and you can hear the animals move around after it. It's nice."
Cherrydawn had to pause for a moment to really think about the difference between the forest and the mountains. He had to admit, SummitClan had beautiful views. Of course, it had nothing on TimberClan. What he wouldn't give to see their valley... "I would say it's different, yes. Climbing a tree, you're climbing straight up into the sky. Your claws actually sink into the bark rather than scrabble on stone. There are dangers in both- rock slides and dead branches. Avalanches and falling trees. You can climb down a tree, but not a sheer cliff face. They're similar, but different."
where the deputy stretched, cottonpaw remained seated, simply watching. now that he stretched out, he seemed a lot bigger than the small tom thought. the red tabby's fur was long, but its thickness almost made him look bulky. either that, or he was bulky. if he had been hostile, cottonpaw likely would've been shredded. but, he wasn't, and that was probably what he should be focusing on. for all the warriors' talk about disliking the other clans, they certainly didn't seem aggressive.
"that makes sense," cottonpaw paused as he seemed to realize something, eyes wide, "oh, are you timberclan's deputy? you must be a busy cat. my dad wasn't one for long, but he always seemed busy, so i didn't get to ask him too many questions about it. copperclaw's a good deputy, though he always seems so serious." cottonpaw smiled a little.
peregrine being fast made sense. at that, he brightened a little. so, timberclanners were fast hunters, too? he imagined climbing into trees made it a bit easier to catch birds, especially since falling from a branch didn't seem as dangerous as falling off the side of a mountain. but, considering he had never fallen from a branch, it could be a lot worse than he thought.
at the impromptu hunting tips, the tom's ears perked, eyes wide as he listened. ah. that made sense. he typically kicked off the ground as hard as possible, assuming the faster, the better. maybe there was a little more technique than simply go at it as hard as possible. sometimes he seemed to improve slightly, but his mentor often told him he returned to his old habits. he just needed to be more careful. he gave a thoughtful nod, slowly moving into a crouch as he continued talking. he just wanted to practice feeling his weight against the ground. might as well, after all.
"that sounds really nice." cottonpaw glanced back up at cherrydawn from his crouch, sinking into it as he moved to lay down, stretching his back legs out and looking up at the trees across the border. "you're climbing straight into the sky...? can you reach starclan up there?" he asked, curiosity evident in how his eyes sparkled as he stared at them. "timberclanners must have really strong claws to get up there... i couldn't imagine getting to the very top of one."
he took a moment to seemingly just look over the treetops. it would probably be an easy assumption to make that he was imagining cats up there, stretching their paws towards the stars.
"how come you're at the border?" he finally asked, looking back at cherrydawn. "i'm just kinda exploring. are you doing a patrol? or hunting?" both of those things seemed to interest the little tom, whose tail flicked in excitement at the idea of going either of those things. everything seemed so new and exciting. he really couldn't imagine the feeling fading.
cottonpaw summitclan apprentice • he/him • 7 moons "i've come back changed, i can feel it in my bones" .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Cottonpaw's wide-eyed innocence reminded him of his kithood days, where his sister would frequently try to engage him into playfights. Cherrydawn's whiskers twitched faintly, one ear flicking backwards in acknowledgement to some hidden signal. "I am the deputy, yes," the ginger-and-white tomcat's voice was quiet. "It is a lot of work. I imagine your dad was pretty busy when he was one. Sometimes I get a moment where I can steal away." He paused in his speaking, breathing in the scent of the new dawn. He flicked a cautious gaze over the thinning trees on SummitClan's side of the piece of territory.
"No, we can't reach StarClan," Cherrydawn's voice was faintly amused as he turned his attention back to the wide eyes of Cottonpaw. "It takes a mix of strength and balance training to be able to get to the tops. We sometimes challenge each other to race each other to the top." He took this moment to savor the quickly warming stone underneath him, tail tip twitching as he let himself practically become a ball of liquid. The soft purr that had been coming from him was growing louder as he rolled onto his side, stretching outwards with a content chirp.
The sky was lightening now, the heat of the sun warming the rock and his belly as it began to creep along the horizon line. "While I'm not out on a patrol myself, there are a few dawn patrols out this morning," he murmured, keeping his voice low. "There's one nearby, a little bit of a mix of both. They're bringing back some moss and cobwebs the medicine cat asked for." Despite his seeming languid sleepiness, his eyes and ears remained alert as he examined the SummitClan border. "I'm merely refreshing the border markings."
at that, the tom's eyes almost seemed to sparkle. the deputy! how cool! it wasn't every day that you could say you met the deputy of another group of cats. his paws kneaded the ground before him as he couldn't help but brighten a bit more... somehow.
"what's it like? it must've been really cool to get chosen... goosestar is the timberclan leader, right? are you going to be cherrystar someday? not that i want anything bad to happen to goosestar, i'm sure he's really cool! but being leader would be awesome." he rambled. as opposed to cherrydawn, the little tom seemed to not be watching his volume, at least not right now.
maybe he should challenge his siblings to climb one of the slopes when he got back? it sounded fun. he doubted they'd go for it, though.
he looked up at the sky as the flaming sunrise began to peter out, leaving a cooling blue behind as rich red-oranges and pinks dwindled behind the horizon. it was a beautiful morning. he briefly wondered if copperclaw might look for him... there was a chance, but he was sure he could get back to camp before anyone noticed.
"oh," he hummed, staring at the border, "maybe i should refresh our markers, too?." he sniffed at the border, but stayed a few paces away. as young and fresh as he was in this world, cottonpaw knew better. he was smart, and he developed a sense of what rules could be stretched and which couldn't fairly quickly. he was like his father, after all.
"that's cool, though. copperclaw doesn't really let me go on border patrols yet. he says i still need to learn." he stuck his tongue out. in his opinion, he was absolutely ready. sure, he had more to learn, but he was ready in this case!
"do you have an apprentice right now?" he asked, tipping his head, "i've been wanting to meet some more apprentices. the only apprentices in summitclan are my siblings, and they're always grumpy."
The innocently excited look on Cottonpaw's face when Cherrydawn revealed he was deputy made something within the ginger and white tomcat soften. "I wasn't expecting to be chosen," he purred lowly. "Goosestar is a rather close friend of mine from when we were apprentices. You could say it is nepotism, in a way." Cherrydawn made a face, truly revulsed at the idea that he was selected just because he was Goosestar's friend. At least, he hoped he wasn't chosen because of that. Still, the thought niggled at him like an annoying tick. The tomcat physically shook his head, trying to shake it loose. "Maybe one day I will be leader," the deputy admitted quietly. "Not anytime soon, I hope. Goosestar and I are still young. He could end up picking a new deputy."
The ginger-and-white tomcat gave a low sigh, brushing a paw over one of his ears and trying not to think of the loss of one of Goosestar's newly received lives. It would gut him, Cherrydawn knew. It would bring the new leader that much closer to a permanent death. "It is up to you whether you want to renew the markers or not, but if you do not wish to get caught by your mentor I would advise against it." His tail slowly flickered against the warm stone. He tilted his head at the younger feline curiously.
"We only have a couple apprentices right now. They're fairly fresh," Cherrydawn slowly said, now contemplative as he considered Cottonpaw. "One of them is my nephew. Maybe you'll run into them while on patrol, one day." The tomcat blinked amber eyes slowly, thinking that he would put restrictions on the new apprentices. No daytime or nighttime wanderings for them so close to the borders, at least not while they were apprentices. It wasn't that he didn't like Cottonpaw, no. It was more... he was awfully young, and the borders were clearer areas. An eagle or vulture could swoop by and grab him easily. What if he ran into a particularly hungry fox, or bear?
"Be careful around the borders, Cottonpaw," he warned softly, tilting his head to the side and letting his eyes drag across it. "It's not just other cats you have to worry about."
"i mean, you don't usually just choose a friend for deputy though, right? like, you have to be good at deputy stuff." nepotism didn't seem like a part of it! cherrydawn seemed like a really nice cat, after all, clearly he earned his position without goosestar playing favorites. at least, it seemed that way to cottonpaw, and he was a really good judge of character in his own opinion! at least, he hoped so.
he glanced at the border again. well... he didn't particularly want to get caught. he did want to serve his clan, though. he shifted between his paws, and ultimately just decided to leave it alone. it wasn't a good idea, and a dawn patrol would likely be by soon to refresh the border themselves, and would likely be confused at cottonpaw's fresh scent.
"oh, cool!" he piped, "i can't wait until i can go to a realm's bounty and meet everyone properly. it must be so cool seeing all the different cats. right now, i'm just stuck with everyone in summitclan. which isn't bad! everyone's really cool in my clan. but sometimes the same cats can get kinda tiring. i don't think anyone else really gets that."
cottonpaw was, unfortunately, quite the yapper. and whether it be lack of experience or simply a lack of fear, he tipped his head at cherrydawn's statement, seemingly confused as to what could possibly hurt him on his own territory.
"what do you mean?" he asked, "like, hawks and stuff? i don't think i've seen any."
the Abyssinian form twitched the whole night through. Occasionally, he’d jolt up, eyes stretched wide, staring at nothing- then, he’d settle back down again, silent. Elkstar had always been a restless sleeper. Becoming leader had only intensified that peculiarity of his. When some slight change in the universe woke him in the dim hour before dawn, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep.
Peering out into the gloom, elkstar had thought he was still dreaming as he watched himself- elkpaw- padding out of camp without a warrior escort. He blinked. No, this was no dream. His son was sneaking out of camp. Brazen. A mixture of fury and admiration made his paws move faster as he hurried to follow cottonpaw. He could have called out, told the tom he ought to stay in camp, punished him, said he’d walk with him… but instinct made him crouch low to the ground, stalking cottonpaw as if he were prey. Elkstar’s whiskers twitched in satisfaction as he glided in the shadows, unseen.
The leader’s satisfaction vanished swiftly when the foul scent of a timberclan cat reached his nose. To his surprise, his son pranced right up to the timberclan warrior. No, not just any warrior either. The deputy! Elkstar’s eyes narrowed. cherrydawn. this was no friendly cross-clan meeting. Cherrydawn was goosestar’s second in command. What was cottonpaw thinking? Elkstar took a few steps back and felt another rush of pleasure that the wind was dead, keeping his scent on the summitclan side of the border. If he was stalking prey, he was ready to bring the fattest catch back to camp. He made himself as small as possible, ears flat to his head, and settled in to watch what would happen.
Blue-green eyes flicked between what he could see of the two cats, taking in every word with interest. Cottonpaw didn’t know the tom- that made sense. The next festival would be his first. If i allow him to go after this… he stifled a growl when cherrydawn asked if everyone in the clan was doing well, clearly prying for summitclan weaknesses. Cottonpaw rambled on without giving anything away- but what was there to give away? elkstar reflected. Summitclan was stronger than ever.
Suddenly, the timberclan tom’s eyes flickered over to elkstar’s hiding spot, making his blood run cold. After a moment, the red and white tom went on chatting with cottonpaw as though he were the deputy’s own apprentice. Elkstar’s lip curled, despite his delight that he hadn’t been discovered. His heart pounded. Didn’t cherrydawn have anything better to do with his time? ”copperclaw doesn't really let me go on border patrols yet. he says i still need to learn.” at least his own deputy wasn’t as mousebrained as cherrydawn, if cottonpaw could be believed. Copperclaw was right. Cottonpaw did have a lot to learn. Like the rule about not talking to strangers.
Elkstar could barely keep himself calm. It suddenly crossed his mind that he had no end game here. What was he going to do? The sun was slowly starting to warm the day. He would be needed back at camp. Copperclaw would notice his apprentice and his leader were missing. The thought of the look on the striped tom’s face at catching father and son both out of line was infuriating. He’d be so pleased with himself. Elkstar had to put a stop to this. Still, he hesitated a moment longer, willing his breath to remain calm and quiet despite his inner turmoil.
