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WEATHER
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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.
content warnings: none - realm events: no - skip rate: n/a they needed to get the clan full-fed for leafbare (according to copperclaw). timberclan had been scented close to the border (twice in the last few sunrises). the apprentices were lazy and not battle ready (according to copperclaw). the nests in the warriors den were in disrepair (okay, that elkstar could see with his own eyes). it had been a long day. he'd never realized how much he wanted to kill copperclaw until he'd chosen him as deputy.
elkstar finished grooming himself and stretched, claws scraping stone as they extended. it was almost painful, but he arched his back a little deeper, wrinkling his nose and feeling his whiskers tingle. he'd lay down for a few moments of rest soon, but first he had to see what was going on with his cats. the sleek ginger tom abandoned his den and made for the more interesting scenery of the camp.
something fluttered near his fur and elkstar suppressed a shiver as a bat dove perilously close. through gaps in the cave, elkstar could see the rich purple glow of the dusk sky. the air around was pleasantly warm, its stillness punctuated by the swoop of thin wings and the occasional humming of an insect before that too stilled.
the leader found a comfortable perch on a smooth piece of slate and surveyed the camp, eyes narrowed to contented slits.
another day of leaf-fall, another day of training. the days seemed to pass slowly as the temperature fell. the warm days cottonpaw was used to were slowly creeping behind him, and he found himself in an unfamiliar, colder world. a chill nipped at his fur, and for the first time, he was starting to see the benefits of having such a long, warm coat.
he was returning from some evening training, a quick run to see how his technique improved. he was starting to notice what he was better at and what he struggled with. some of it was frustrating, especially as some of the apprentices seemed to eek past him in sheer hunting or combat skills. but, he was smart and crafty, even though his impulsivity often won out. he had potential, and that mattered, but potential didn't give results. he slipped away from his mentor, bidding the other cat a good evening before making his way towards the fresh-kill pile with the intent of sharing with his siblings, catching up on their days together, when he suddenly noticed a familiar ginger pelt from afar: elkstar.
the tom's ears pricked at the sight, raising his head.
he hadn't seen much of his father growing up, but cougarblossom had told him stories. his father came to visit occasionally, but the tom was often busy, and cottonpaw didn't need cougarblossom to tell him that it was because of his duties. elkstar was busy being a deputy, and then a leader. there was no time for playing with kits, not when the entire clan relied on his guidance. at least, that was what cottonpaw told himself. he occasionally saw the slight sympathy in cougarblossom's eyes, but it was unnecessary, in his opinion. he was proud, after all! elkstar did what he had to do. it wasn't as though he grew up fully without a father.
...still, he didn't see elkstar often. maybe now was a good time?
he wasn't sure. he wanted to speak to elkstar once he thought he earned it, and that meant excelling in his apprenticeship. so far, he was working as hard as he could, but he didn't feel as though he was making much headway. but still, elkstar had allowed him to have copperclaw as a mentor. maybe his father knew his potential? maybe copperclaw noticed how hard he was working and mentioned it to elkstar? it was worth talking to him, he just had to steel himself.
after quickly fixing his long fur, giving his chest a few licks and brushing a paw over his ears to smooch out the tufty fur that often gathered behind them, the tom trotted to the fresh-kill pile, grabbing the fattest bird he could find before walking towards elkstar, giving his tail a shiver and a wave as he approached.
cottonpaw set the bird down beside elkstar, dipping his head as politely as he could manage, just as he saw the older warriors addressing him. he was the leader, after all. being his kit didn't exempt him from showing the proper respect.
"good evening, elkstar," he spoke, trying to hide the slight purr of excitement in his voice. "how was your day?"
don't look too eager, he couldn't help thinking to himself, he's just your father. there's nothing special about this, just a kit speaking to his father. plenty of other parents around the clan are just as busy.
still, he couldn't shake that feeling, the prickly, itchy feeling in his paws and the slight rush of his heart.
elkstar's eyes had narrowed to aquamarine slits, and he was starting to doze off, when a voice brought his attention back to camp. immediately, his eyes flew open, jet black pupils blown wide to take in the little light available in the gloom. "cottonpaw," the ginger tom purred, waving his tail in greeting.
"shall we share?" he asked, tipping his head to the fat bird. he wasn't about to ignore the growl of hunger in his belly. had he eaten recently? he found he couldn't remember.
elkstar looked fondly at his son. he had to admit, he didn't have much use for mewling kits, but the young cat was growing into a fine apprentice now. he had more than a passing resemblance to his father, a washed out version of elkstar that stood to grow a bit bigger than elkstar himself. indeed, the two toms were already close in size, though elkstar had the filled out build of an adult.
"is copperclaw doing a good job with your training?" the leader asked, his tone light and conversational. for a moment, a serious expression flashed across his face before he schooled his features into neutrality. he'd chosen to honor the deputy with the care of his son- he'd better be giving it his all.
cottonpaw brightened as elkstar regarded him, and the fawn tom nodded, settling beside his father and setting the bird down between them. he neatly tucked his forepaws beneath him, looking at the sky. as the sun sank lower in the sky, dipping beneath the horizon, cottonpaw's pelt darkened. in silhouette, he and elkstar were near-identical with their similar builds and size, the only exception being cottonpaw's slightly-longer fur, and the fact cottonpaw was slightly shorter. but it was true that he was catching up to his father, and once he grew to his full size, he'd be quite the elegant cat, just like him.
"copperclaw's doing great," he tipped his head, "i mean, i'm not really the best one to judge, but he does well. at least i think so. he's kinda strict." but maybe that's a good thing in a mentor? he wasn't sure. he shifted his paws slightly beneath him, curling his tail around himself.
"how has leading been? i know you're really busy most of the time, but the borders seem secure and everything from what i've seen." maybe the report would make his father feel a bit better? he knew the tom somewhat, at least from what he heard from cats around the clan. he was strict, but not in the same way copperclaw was. no, he tended to be more strict about other groups, and cottonpaw was aware of his own differing beliefs. but maybe elkstar would accept them? it wasn't like it was a huge deal either way.
the leader took a bite of the prey his son had offered and nodded appreciatively. The bird’s flesh still held the fatness of greenleaf, none of the stringiness that would soon taint his meals. ”great,” elkstar echoed, trying to imagine how his deputy was doing, squinting as though he could conjure an exact image of it in his mind. He’d been too busy with all of his new duties to watch every training session, though he’d caught part of a hunting lesson between the pair a few sunrises ago.
Elkstar was relieved that he didn’t have an apprentice of his own. Iceclaw was great and all, but he couldn’t imagine having an annoying little cat trailing after him everywhere he went just now. Besides, iceclaw had been more like a peer than an inferior- they’d trained together before she lost her mentor. He was just a few moons her senior. Elkstar was in the stage of his life now where he felt a yawning gap between himself and the apprentices, despite being less than a full turn of the seasons older than many. Still, elkstar could nearly imagine himself training cottonpaw. He was so full of energy, just like elkstar himself. And if elkstar was anything, he was easily impressed by cats he thought were like himself.
The ginger tom flicked his ears in surprise that his son had a stance on the security of the borders. What a serious young cat he was! Falling for cottonpaw’s attempts to please him, elkstar warmed without a second thought. ”it’s a lot. Always something else to do!” he sighed dramatically. ”well, that’s life, isn’t it? Never a dull moment.” he shrugged. “We have to stay on our toes at all times, cottonpaw. Never let your guard down. Those pathetic timberclan cats will be massing at our border in a season, begging for herbs and prey… or worse, trespassing and taking it for themselves!”
elkstar’s tail lashed. Caught up in his fervor for a moment, elkstar remembered himself and gave his shoulder a lick. The leader glanced at his son to see how cottonpaw was taking all this. ”but I’m sure i don’t have to tell you that. Summitclan is the greatest clan in the territory. It’s time that timberclan knows that too.” as an afterthought, he mewed, ”and those ‘court’ freaks, too…”
