tenny
please talk me into doing homework
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Post by tenny on Oct 4, 2017 12:04:58 GMT -5
Just because Jumpstar was one of the oldest cats in the clan and also happened to be the leader of said clan, does not mean he doesn't like to have a little bit of fun every now and then. He stared mischievously at, Sheephorn, the huge tom cat near the center of camp, remembering when he was an apprentice and how long ago it was. I haven't tested him in a while, I think I ought to make sure he still has that edge about him... that and I owe him for the last time he caught me off guard. The large tom flicked his tail angrily at the memory. He got up to his paws, his muscles sore and body aching, a sign of his older age. The big orange and white cat shook his matted fur and crouched into his hunters stance, testing the wind to make sure it would not reveal his location. After making sure it wouldn't, he crept forward stealthily, the countless moons he spent honing his craft paid off as the tom moved quite as a mouse. Jumpstar grinned viciously, his eyes moved back and forth, matching the swaying of Sheephorn's tail. He tensed his muscles, patiently waiting for the perfect time to strike. Now! Jumpstar leaped forward, pouncing at the slightly larger tom's tail.
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 12:53:16 GMT -5
Sheephorn had been sitting in the shade, examining the fresh-kill pile for signs of crowfood. Some of the prey had been sitting out since early the day before, and in this kind of heat, it was easy for them to become maggot-ridden quickly. He was so focused on his task as he examined the fresh-kill one by one that he didn't notice Jumpstar sneaking up behind him, until he felt the faint prick of claws on his tail. In surprise, the massive tom let out a startled yelp and hopped up, swiveling in the air to land nearly-facing his attacker, pelt bristling and claws sliding out instinctively. Instead of a vicious rogue or predator coming to steal their water and prey like he'd feared, he just saw Jumpstar's smug expression. Sheephorn scowled, sheathing his claws and forcing his fur to flatten.
"Looks like you got me," the tom meowed, his voice deep and rumbling but quiet. He bent his head to lick down a tuft of fur on his chest, which didn't want to settle. He probably deserved that, he conceded, after having pushed Jumpstar into the oasis two days prior. Even so, he couldn't help but begin to plot his own revenge.
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 12:58:28 GMT -5
(yeeeeeeeee. I have one for all my cats in this Clan.)
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tenny
please talk me into doing homework
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Post by tenny on Oct 4, 2017 13:10:56 GMT -5
Jumpstar mrrowed with amusement as the huge tom leapt into the air and turned around claws unsheathing, snarling. Had Jumpstar been any other cat in the clan he was sure they'd run away, tail tucked between their legs, and wouldn't stop until they hit the Fang Rocks. He brought his paw to his tongue licking it roughly before running it over his 'ear'. I say 'ear' because he really only had one, and even then it was only half an ear. "You keep looking at me like that, and you might just get a fight." Jumpstar said only half jokingly, as he slowly stretched his front legs, his long claws digging deeply into the dirt. While Jumpstar was definitely interested in fighting the massive tom, he wouldn't do so unless it was under certain circumstances. Such as, Sheephorn challenging him for leadership of the clan, because of Jumpstar had it his way, the large brown tom would take his position the second he stepped down as leader. "You making sure Scorchpaw didn't put a live mouse in the fresh kill pile again?" The orange and white cat questioned, again, only half joking.
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 13:23:59 GMT -5
Sheephorn twitched his whiskers at the thought, his expression softening. He settled down a bit, wrapping his tail around his white paws. "Fortunately there's no sign of twitching fresh-'kill'," he replied. "No, I was checking for crowfood. Some of this has been sitting out a while," he explained, nudging a dead shrew with one paw. "It doesn't look like there are any maggots yet, but some of this is a bit... warm and stiff," he added, wrinkling his nose. "It'll have to be discarded before too long, and then some hunting patrols will have to go out to restock." He tilted his head, thinking. "Though, for that matter, it may be better to wait until closer to dusk, when it's cooler. Plus, the cold overnight will keep the prey fresher for longer."
(sorry this one is kind of short rip) |
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tenny
please talk me into doing homework
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Post by tenny on Oct 4, 2017 13:38:55 GMT -5
Jumpstar listened intently to what Sheephorn had to say, his chest swelling with pride with every word he said. "I'll make sure to talk to Dryleaf about it. Have her get the apprentices to dispose of the rotten food and such." He meowed nonchalantly, letting out a big yawn as he finished his sentence. Jumpstar exhaled softly, it appeared as though his heart was heavy. "Come with me to my den, I have something important to talk to you about that only Burningsun and Dryleaf know about." The older tom whispered, before turning around and padding slowly to his den, clearly concealing a limp. "Grab Redpatch as well, I caught his scent in the medicine cat den before I 'attacked' you." He called out as he squeezed his way into his den through the small entrance, well not really small, Jumpstar is just a really big cat. Other than Sheephorn, Redpatch was the toms best ally in the clan.
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 13:47:49 GMT -5
Sheephorn narrowed his eyes with concern at Jumpstar's tone, but didn't question him, instead just dipping his head and getting to his paws. "Very well," he meowed. "I'll be there shortly." He watched the older tom head to his den, thinking that he seemed weary. He didn't ponder this for long, however, and instead turned and headed over to Burningsun's den. Before entering, he opened his mouth to scent the air, and sure enough he caught a faint whiff of Redpatch's scent, half-hidden among the fragrance of the many herbs present in the den.
"Hello? Burningsun, Redpatch?" Sheephorn called out softly as he stepped part-way into the den, his eyes widening to take in as much light as they could from the dark interior while they adjusted. He could only make out the faint shapes of a few cats in the den, but the rest was, for the moment, lost in shadow. His voice was quiet; he always felt a sense of awe and solemnity when he entered the medicine den, something which unsettled him somewhat. "Jumpstar sent me to fetch you," he meowed, hoping that the shapes he was addressing were the right cats.
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tenny
please talk me into doing homework
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Post by tenny on Oct 4, 2017 14:07:57 GMT -5
"I'm over here, I'll be out in a sec' Sheephorn, my ear got caught in a bramble thicket when I was chasing a jack rabbit earlier, you can't imagine how much that thing bled." The tortoiseshell tom called out from the darkness, momentarily before joining Sheepborn at the entrance of the medicine den, his bright amber eyes shone ominously in the darkness. "Let's go." He said, padding towards Jumpstar's den, slipping into the den with relative ease, compared to that of Sheephorn. Red patch saw the large orange and white tom laying down in his nest as rays of sunlight shone down on the leaders ragged pelt as he waited for the two toms to get settled.
Jumpstar cleared his throat as the two cats in front of him sat comfortably. "I'm sure you two are wondering why I called you in here, I'm also sure that the two of you remember the battle with the coyotes we had one moon ago, where we tragically lost Brackenpaw and Sootpelt." Jumpstar hesitated before continuing, no doubt the loss of Brackenpaw was hard on him as the young cat was his very own apprentice. The golden brown apprentice had so much potential, in fact so much so that he became the first apprentice he had taught since Sheephorn all those moons ago. "I lost a life in that battle too, and since I don't expect you two to keep track of how many lives I have, I'll go ahead and tell you. I lost my seventh life in that little exchange. That being said Burningsun says my wounds aren't healing properly and that coupled with the fact that leaf bare is coming, leads me to believe I won't make it through the end of this upcoming season." He said, flexing his sharp claws.
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 14:21:47 GMT -5
Sheephorn nodded as Redpatch spoke, waiting patiently at the entrance for the tortoiseshell to join him. "Yeah, ears bleed way more than one would think," the massive brown tom replied, flicking his own rather torn-up ears. "There's a lot of blood that flows there, I suppose." He followed the older tom as they headed for the leaders' den, dipping his head to Dryleaf- who was returning from the dawn patrol- as they passed. She seemed to notice that they were headed for the leaders' den, and some emotion he couldn't identify- grief, perhaps?- glittered in her yellow eyes. Sheephorn didn't have time to ponder that, however, as Redpatch entered the small cave, and Sheephorn squeezed through the narrow entrance after him. He blocked most of the light as he did so, casting the den in dim shadow, only the silhouettes of the other cats and their glittering eyes visible until he moved to the side and allowed sunlight to flood once more into the small space. He could see Jumpstar lying in his nest, and only now were his wounds visible. He seemed feeble and tired, and for the first time Sheephorn realized how vulnerable he was. A more arrogant or power-hungry cat might take it as an opportunity to challenge their leader for his place, but Sheephorn had more respect for Jumpstar than that. He was confident that the old leader would heal with time.
That confidence, however, was shaken as Jumpstar spoke. The brown tom listened quietly, his gaze darkening as Jumpstar revealed that he was on his second to last life. He couldn't stop himself from grimacing as Jumpstar stated his fear that he wouldn't survive another season. His tail lashed once with both fear, and irritation that Jumpstar would give up so easily.
"Sometimes it takes longer to heal, especially with cats at your age," he began slowly, careful to keep his voice level. "It's only been a moon, and your injuries were fairly severe. I'm sure with time, things will seem more hopeful." Still, he couldn't deny that even though Jumpstar seemed to have been getting better, it wasn't at the pace any cat could hope for. "But... even if these wounds kill you," he added, voice shaking a bit at the thought, "would the loss of that life not heal them? And from there, I'm sure you could manage to survive at least until newleaf."
(so it occurred to me that the nine lives thing would probably be an issue if cats challenge a current leader, which leads me to wonder: would the old leader be stripped of their lives? Or should cats only be allowed to challenge a leader who they suspect of being on their last, or possibly second to last, life?) |
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 14:27:59 GMT -5
(ah I didn't realize it was a fight to the death. So even if the leader has multiple lives, if they lose all of those lives are stripped from them, save for their very last?)
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tenny
please talk me into doing homework
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Post by tenny on Oct 4, 2017 14:44:01 GMT -5
Redpatch winced at his leaders words, I mean sure Jumpstart was healing slow, but it's hard to imagine a cat of his caliber or as stoic as he is to admit defeat. The tortoiseshell tom turned his head to the side as Sheephorn spoke, the very words he was on the verge of speaking. "Yeah you're not as young as you-l" Redpatch's words were cut off by Jumpstar's fearsome snarl, something that chilled even him to his bones. "You don't think I know that? You think I don't know my own body well enough to know that I'm not healing properly?" Jumpstar growled. Even in his older and more feeble state, Redpatch wouldn't dare challenge Jumpstar for leadership, both out of respect for the tom as well as fear. "I expect to loose my eighth life before the end of Leaf-bare, if not by infection then by sickness, when that happens one of the two of you needs to challenge me for leadership." The orange and white cat stated. Redpatch looked shocked, staring at his leader and then at Sheephorn. Jumpstar was asking one of them to kill him. "Jumpstar... please, it's too early to make these assumptions." Redpatch whispered, knowing it was futile, once the large tom before him made up his mind there was no changing it. One other thing ran through Redpatch's mind, Jumpstar's pride. The borderline hubris tom was way too prideful to just give up in a battle, especially in front of his clan. If a battle were to take place between any of the three toms, it would be an almost guaranteed blood bath. "Jumpstar, even like this there is no guarantee either of us can defeat you." Redpatch continued. "Fine, then if I best one of you in battle, then the other must challenge me directly afterwards. I may be strong but I'm not strong enough to take both of you out especially in my current state, even I am not too proud to admit that. Know that I am not asking you to potentially sacrifice yourself on my behalf, but on the behalf of our clan." Jumpstar replied calmly.
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tenny
please talk me into doing homework
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Post by tenny on Oct 4, 2017 14:44:25 GMT -5
(ah I didn't realize it was a fight to the death. So even if the leader has multiple lives, if they lose all of those lives are stripped from them, save for their very last?) yes |
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 14:52:43 GMT -5
Sheephorn listened to the exchange silently, going over every possible option in his mind for a way around this. The way that Jumpstar planned it, at least one of the three of them would die; at worst, two of them. Curse this Clan's convoluted succession rules, Sheephorn thought to himself, drawing back his lips in a silent snarl. In that case, the question was, which one between them would go first? Whoever fought Jumpstar first, if they won would take the leadership... but if they lost, they would forfeit it to the other. There seemed no good options here. No, there had to be some way around.
"What if one of us challenged you sooner than that?" he meowed slowly after a few moments. "Not now... it's too soon to make a change like that. But if you're challenged before your eighth life is lost, and defeated, then you will still have the chance to live out the rest of your days as a warrior, or an elder if you prefer. Without the stress of being leader, you might be able to survive longer," he explained, half-rambling. Logically, he knew that Jumpstar would probably reject that plan- even though it might allow him to live for longer, Sheephorn knew Jumpstar would want to die as leader, even if it meant a violent death. He would never want to spend his last days lazing around the elders' den, or even taking it easy as a senior warrior. Still, Sheephorn felt he had to try- after all, Jumpstar was more than just his leader. He was also his friend.
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 15:05:20 GMT -5
( D': )
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Post by whispering on Oct 4, 2017 17:09:32 GMT -5
Hello helloooo
I'm here to roleplay, finally
is there anything specifically I need to dooo
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 4, 2017 17:20:14 GMT -5
(nyello! All of my cats but Sheephorn are open atm if you want to rp. Did you see my question on the joining page about Heatnose possibly being Owlnight's sister?
Also goldfish now all we need is a more power-hungry but very charismatic cat to come along and ruin everything by challenging Jumpstar before Redpatch or Sheephorn can do it lol)
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Post by whispering on Oct 4, 2017 18:26:46 GMT -5
[ yes that’a fine with me. Typing up a starter now!]
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tenny
please talk me into doing homework
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Post by tenny on Oct 5, 2017 10:10:43 GMT -5
whispering I've got all my characters except for Jumpstar and Redpatch free if you 'd like to roleplay
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 5, 2017 12:26:20 GMT -5
(riperoni. I've had that happen before. Plus it seems like Proboards has been acting up lately so I'm honestly not surprised.)
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Post by Aphelyon on Oct 5, 2017 12:29:26 GMT -5
(Oh nice :D you commission a banner from someone?)
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tenny
please talk me into doing homework
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Post by tenny on Oct 5, 2017 12:39:19 GMT -5
Jumpstar let out a long sigh and shook his head. "You know just as well as I do, that will never work Sheephorn." Redpatch muttered, digging his claws into the earth, frustrated. Redpatch had a lot of respect for the orange and white cat before him, but things would be a lot easier if he wasn't as proud of a tom as he is. But that's what makes Jumpstar, Jumpstar. He wouldn't be the same without the unhealthy aura of pride about him. Jumpstar chuckled softly, at the looks of frustration and loss on the faces of the two toms in front of him. "Fear not Redpatch, Sheephorn. I'm not dead yet, and I don't plan on dying... relatively soon anyways. But let us not mourn the living, I am alive as of now, and we should act like it. Let's live the remainder of our days out happily. You two are two of the best warriors, and two of my best friends, in this clan, now act like it." Jumpstar said, scratching behind his ear. "Now, Sheephorn, go and take Swiftpaw out hunting. Starclan knows he could use something other than battle training. And Redpatch, do me a favor and talk to Dryleaf about the fresh kill pile. It appears as if some of the prey is rotting, I'd like her to get some apprentices cleaning that up stat. We wouldn't want anyone getting sick, especially Nightshine, I'm afraid she can't even see anymore though she'd never admit it... she's almost as bad as I am." Jumpstar continued, still scratching his ear. "These blasted fleas! They'll kill me before anything else does, I'm going to Burningsun, to see if she has anything to treat them." He added, springing to his feet and leaping out of his den, momentarily looking like the formidable warrior he used to be. Redpatch chuckled, shaking his head at the sudden change in mood of the leader. I don't think I'll ever hear about anyone talking about their death one second and then complaining about fleas the next, ever again. "Gotta love Jumpstar." Redpatch sighed happily, following the giant cat outside into the clearing in search of Dryleaf.
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DM me if u want