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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 14:48:02 GMT -5
(sorry for the poof)
When they finished the hole, Crow carefully lowered Starling's body into it and arranged her so that she looked like she could have been sleeping. For a moment he stayed with her, head bowed with grief, but as more snowflakes drifted from the sky to settle on her cold gray pelt, he realized it was time to say goodbye for good.
"I'll do my best to raise your kits," he murmured, touching his nose to his sister's ear. "I'll make sure they make you proud." Then he straightened up and looked at the gray sky, blinking as snowflakes drifted into his eyes. Casting one last look at Starling, he clawed his way out of the hole and began to fill it in.
Burying her didn't take nearly as long as digging the hole, and even by himself he managed to finish the task quickly. He made his way back to the burrow, where the others were waiting. By now, it was snowing harder. The churned soil of the grave was turning white and beginning to blend with the rest of the forest, and even the pawprints from the cats were quickly filling in. It threatened to become a blizzard.
"You can all stay here until the storm passes. The den is large; we should all fit, albeit snugly," Crow meowed as he joined the others. "And perhaps once it clears up, we could hunt. I'll show you the better places around here, to thank you for your help."
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Post by snowy on Dec 29, 2016 14:50:32 GMT -5
(not sure how to start in this jump-in ;^; )
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 14:55:41 GMT -5
(Idk. Your cat could be attracted by the smell of blood, or curious about the large group of cats, or looking for shelter from the coming blizzard, among other possibilities.)
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 15:07:13 GMT -5
Crowpaw twitched his whiskers at the young tom as he followed them into the den, nodding at the others to enter if they wished. "Yes, I've lived here much of my life. Where are you three from?" he asked curiously. He had never smelled their scent before, so they couldn't be from too close by. Plus the uncertainty of the two younger cats, despite being plenty old enough to be able to hunt and fight, suggested that they were unfamiliar with this area, and perhaps this type of terrain altogether.
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Post by ✽Boop✽ on Dec 29, 2016 15:10:13 GMT -5
Ember looked away from the other cats and watched the kits instead, sleeping peacefully. She wondered what she'd gotten herself into and what would happen from here.
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 15:12:09 GMT -5
As he entered the den, Crow slipped past the others to sit by the nest. He looked at the kits, who all seemed to be sleeping. "How are they? Did they eat well?" he asked Ember, concern in his tone. Now that Starling was laid to rest, his first and only priority was making sure her kits were well cared for.
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 15:13:42 GMT -5
(not sure how to start in this jump-in ;^; ) |
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Post by ✽Boop✽ on Dec 29, 2016 15:16:55 GMT -5
"They seem to be okay. They all have eaten. This one may need extra attention, however." Ember flicked her tail towards the black kit. "At first he wouldn't move. But they're all okay now."
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 15:21:18 GMT -5
Crow nodded, trying not to let his concern for the black kit show. "He's the smallest and his fur looks like it's a bit thin so maybe he was just cold," the white tom suggested, hoping it was that simple and taken care of now.
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Post by ✽Boop✽ on Dec 29, 2016 15:25:24 GMT -5
"Perhaps..." Ember trailed off, lost in thought. The kit's fur reminded her too much of her own kits, though she had tried to forget about them. She didn't want the same fate to fall to this stranger's kits.
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 15:28:59 GMT -5
Crow watched Ember silently for a moment, noting her wistful tone and expression. Like himself, she seemed to be grieving, and he remembered her reason for having milk in the first place: her lost kits. After a moment, he quietly meowed, "Can I ask what happened to them? Don't feel obligated to tell me if you don't want to, though."
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Post by a diamond's pearl on Dec 29, 2016 15:36:14 GMT -5
(So will we be able to claim the kits?)
Midnight lay outside of the den taking shelter underneath a thorn bush. Natalie was curled up beside him, resting peacefully. The black tom's amber eyes were resting on Losami who sat in the center of the clearing, taking watch. She was so... different. Not just in size, but her ways were so unique to a regular cat. Maybe it was because she was half lynx, or because she was from the mountains. He didn't know. "Midnight?" His ears swiveled over to the young she-cat beside him as a sign that he was listening. "I'm hungry. We haven't eaten in a while."
"I could go out and hunt if you like." Losami's soft, foreign, mew sounded from ahead. Both cats looked over to see that the big cat was looking over at them. "There's a young doe up ahead. Perhaps you could ask the other's to join me. I could teach them how to hunt larger prey?"
Midnight looked from Losami to Natalie and back. Giving a slow nod. "Wait here." He said, rising to his paws and entering the hollow. "Er, we'd like to know if any of you would hunt with us before the storm gets worse. Losami scents a deer not far from here. She could teach you how to hunt one."
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 15:42:22 GMT -5
Crow looked up as the black and white tom from before spoke, surprised at his suggestion that they hunt something as large as a deer. But as big as the lynx- Losami, Crow supposed- was, he wasn't all that surprised that she knew how. He nodded and got to his paws, dipping his head to Ember. "We can talk again later." He cast an affectionate look at the kits before padding out of the den.
"By the way, I don't think I ever got your name," he meowed to the black and white tom as he joined him on the oak roots.
(lol I have a Clan called WolfClan that is currently dead, but they also were able to hunt deer and larger prey because they learned it from watching the wolves that shared their territory in summer. I'd be pretty excited to do something similar if this ever becomes a Clan.
Edit: Oh yeah, and about the kits. Yes, once they're old enough to actually be characters, I'll let some of them be claimed by other people. I will likely take one or two of them myself, though. Not 100% sure which ones though. Funny story, all five are actually very loosely based on cats I know irl [mostly their general appearance traits, like "long-furred white tom" or "gray she-cat"], so really it depends on which ones I want to stay true to lol.)
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Post by ✽Boop✽ on Dec 29, 2016 15:42:37 GMT -5
Ember thought about how she should answer. This place was far enough away from where she came from, so it wasn't likely anyone here would be a threat to her. They seemed like friendly cats, despite the circumstances. She decided it was safe to tell Crow what happened. "Well...I was cast out of my clan a while ago. I was expecting kits, but no one knew. I had them alone. It was too cold, and I was too weak to save them..." She shook her head, not wanting to say more.
(oops I was too late lol)
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 15:46:46 GMT -5
(just a second. I'll backtrack and respond to Ember, and assume that my reply to Midnight came after that)
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 15:50:03 GMT -5
Crow narrowed his eyes, surprised by the fact that she came from a Clan, and concerned that she had been cast out. What had she done to deserve that? He felt a sudden surge of protectiveness for the kits, and while he knew that for the moment there was no choice but for Ember to care for them if they were to survive, he wanted to be careful about who he allowed around them. And if she was dangerous....
Crow hid this reaction from her, though. Instead, he dipped his head, and meowed, "That's awful. If only you had been close by, Starling and I could have helped you and perhaps done something to save your kits." He paused for a heartbeat, before continuing: "Can I ask why you were cast out?"
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Post by a diamond's pearl on Dec 29, 2016 15:55:27 GMT -5
"Midnight." He said simply. Midnight was predominately black, except for his white paws, muzzle, chest, and tail-tip. And he had a sister named Eclipse, who was white-and-black, but they separated moons ago.
Losami stood patiently waiting for Midnight's return. Her tufted ears pricked when she saw his choice in cats. "Thanks for volunteering. Though, I may warn you, you've got to put your all into when hunting deer. They can punch quiet a pack if you aren't ready." Of course she knew exactly how to do this. Her and her father did this literally all the time. But she was more used to hunting Mountain Goats. "Midnight you remember how to do this, correct?"
"Yeah, we've done it two times now."
"Excellent. Now come on, follow me."
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 15:55:55 GMT -5
(lol Crow has to reply to so many cats at once why do I do this. Backtracking again: assume this response is before he goes to sit by Ember)
"That sounds terrible," Crow replied, shuddering at the idea both of the fire and of living with twolegs. That explained the two younger cats' seeming discomfort in the forest, though- just as Crow had suspected. "Hopefully you get used to the forest, though," he added as he padded past Solace to join Ember, and ensue their conversation which already happened/chronologically is about to happen.
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Post by ✽Boop✽ on Dec 29, 2016 15:58:33 GMT -5
Ember gazed at Crow. Would he believe her if she told him? She steeled herself to run if things turned sour. "Our medicine cat was murdered," she mewed, looking away, "they believed that I killed her. I know who really did it but the evidence was against me. The warriors were to kill me if they saw me again."
(Lol this is about to get real confusing)
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Post by a diamond's pearl on Dec 29, 2016 16:01:37 GMT -5
(We'll just say Midnight came in after all these conversations were over  ) |
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 16:05:21 GMT -5
(isn't it always? XD)
Crow stared at her for a moment, deciding whether or not he believed her. He didn't really know a lot about Clans, and he wasn't sure what a medicine cat was, but they sounded important. After a moment, though, he let out a soft sigh. For now, he had no choice but to trust her. He was about to ask for more details when he was interrupted by Midnight.
(copied from earlier) Crow looked up as the black and white tom from before spoke, surprised at his suggestion that they hunt something as large as a deer. But as big as the lynx- Losami, Crow supposed- was, he wasn't all that surprised that she knew how. He nodded and got to his paws, dipping his head to Ember. "We can talk again later." He cast an affectionate look at the kits before padding out of the den.
"By the way, I don't think I ever got your name," he meowed to the black and white tom as he joined him on the oak roots.
(and now, responding to Spirit's latest post and putting the timeline back together....)
Crow nodded in response to Losami. "I wouldn't expect anything else. So, how do you go about taking down something like a deer? I imagine it's far more... involved that killing something small like a mouse or even rabbit."
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Post by ✽Boop✽ on Dec 29, 2016 16:10:06 GMT -5
(it all fits  ) Ember nodded and gazed at the kits again. Perhaps she shouldn't have spoken so freely about her situation. These cats were strangers, after all, not to be trusted. She figured later on she may have to run, or perhaps fight her way out. This is the life of a rogue she thought to herself. |
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Post by a diamond's pearl on Dec 29, 2016 16:31:23 GMT -5
Losami's whiskers twitched in amusement. "You just leave the take down to me since this is your first time." She said, pausing to sniff the air, a large paw raised in the air. "There." The lynx pointed with her nose towards the giant, brown shape, digging up snow and trying to graze. "Surround it. Midnight, instruct him on what to do." She began to pad silently in a different direction. "And please, wait for the signal this time."
Midnight grumbled, what had happened last time was an accident. He'd accidentally kicked a rock and startled the deer. Losami and her father were furious, and the tom had never made that mistake again. "Come on, and try not to step on anything. Losami is very serious on her hunting. And she gets really frustrated when she misses her catch. Its quiet intimidating to see a cat so big so angry." Midnight lead Crow half-way away from Losami, signaling with his tail for him to stop. "Crouch here and wait for Losami's signal. It will most likely be her ear flicking or she steps on something. When she does, attack. But you've gotta be quick if you don't want to get kicked. It'd probably be best to follow my lead, I won't be very far." Without waiting for response, the tom stalked away, taking place underneath a thorn bush and waiting patiently.
The young doe was very unaware of the cats, waiting to attack. Losami watched it intently, the falling snow not bothering a bit. She'd had colder up in the moments. The lynx waited until the doe got closer to Crow and Midnight before she let a giant paw purposely make noise in the thick snow.
That was the signal. Instantly, Midnight launched himself out of the bush and at the deer, making his way underneath it and scoring his claws down its belly. The doe let out a squeal of surprise and bucked wildly away from him. But Midnight kept up, this time scoring a few well-aimed blows at its hindlegs. He had to distract it enough to Losami could make the kill. His eyes darted over to Crow to make sure the white tom was doing okay.
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 16:38:38 GMT -5
Crow tensed in surprise as the sound of Losami's paw broke the silence, and it took him a heartbeat to realize that that was the signal Midnight had spoken of. He waited for a second longer, watching the black tom's movements so as to determine what it was he was supposed to do. As the deer flailed, he held back uncertainly, but when he noticed its eyes darting around the forest, he broke his cover and darted in front if it, snarling loudly to keep it from running off. It reared in fright and flailed its hooves at him, but he managed to hop back just in time to avoid them. Heart pounding, he looked for Losami, hoping she would come and kill it quickly.
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Post by ✽Boop✽ on Dec 29, 2016 17:09:42 GMT -5
(Going for a bit, will be back later)
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Post by a diamond's pearl on Dec 29, 2016 17:37:11 GMT -5
A deep growl began to rumble in her throat as she crept forward. Her hazel green eyes locked onto the young doe as she bunched her muscles and made a tremendous leap. The lynx-cat landed squarely on its back, sinking her claws into its flesh so she could get a grip. The doe bucked, trying to throw her off, but Losami wouldn't budge. Without any hesitation, she rose a giant paw and threw a powerful blow to its head. The deer staggered on its hooves, falling down at the compact of the hit. Once the doe was down, Losami launched herself at its head, Midnight immediately racing over to pin it down while she delivered the killing bit. It took a while for the deer to go limp. But it eventually did.
Losami let out an approving grunt. "This should be able to feed everyone." She declared, hopping off of the deer and giving Midnight and Crow an approving nod. "Good job for a first timer and an old timer." She purred, and shoved Midnight, nearly knocking the tom off his paws with her own large one.
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 17:42:37 GMT -5
Crow trotted over with wide eyes as the deer stilled, wrinkling his nose at the scent of its blood. "That was... intense," he meowed, looking the prey over. "And how are we supposed to get it back to the others? It looks too big to carry, even with all three of us."
(sorry for the short reply. Also brb dinner)
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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 29, 2016 18:28:30 GMT -5
(back)
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)
DM me if u want