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Post by max adeline on Jun 13, 2018 5:13:44 GMT -5
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Post by dood on Jun 13, 2018 10:08:26 GMT -5
He wasn't sure if his eyes were watering from the smoke, or from the loss of his Clan. He didn't dare look back though, following his leader's instructions and continued to sprint towards the river. He hoped that the drought hadn't drained the river as much as his mentor had told him. A flaming branch suddenly dropped in front of him, and he skidded to a halt as sparks flew towards his face. He coughed out more smoke before sprinting around it breaking through gorse, stumbling into the shallow river and stopping at the shore, looking back to watch his home burn.
Jess watched the fire burn from the safety of a post, feeling the heat radiating from the forest even from her distance. She briefly wondered what became of the cats that lived there, before her blue eyes found a kit gazing back at the forest. Huffing with annoyance, she leaped down from her post and approached the kit. "It's dangerous for you to be out here alone."
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Post by max adeline on Jun 13, 2018 12:16:52 GMT -5
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Post by dood on Jun 13, 2018 12:44:24 GMT -5
The spotted black and white she-cat flicked her ears at the kit's rudeness, and upon further inspection she realized that this was forest cat instead of some loose kitten. She started wondering where her mother was, and why she'd let her kit become separated during the disaster. She sat down, focusing again on the relentless fire and praying that it wouldn't spread any further. "Snakes, dogs, hawks, rogues, things just as bloodthirsty as the fire," she listed as she licked her paw and lifted it to clean her face. She waved her tail, inviting the calico to sit down with her.
Duckpaw lapped at the water to clean his mouth of the dirty soot, and gave his cream and brown tabby coat a lick. He caught movement in the corner of his eye, and turned to see a cat run out of the forest and into the river. His green eyes widened with hope and he began to bound over to the stranger, mistaking the rogue for another member of his clan. "You made it out!"
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Post by max adeline on Jun 13, 2018 13:29:02 GMT -5
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Post by dood on Jun 13, 2018 13:51:07 GMT -5
Jess shrugged, continuing to groom herself. "I stay with some owners every once in awhile, they usually just keep me around to hunt in their garden." She noticed the sad look that passed on the kit, and wondered if she had somewhere to stay after this. "What's your name?"
He squinted at the tom as he approached, realizing too late that this wasn't a friend. His fur bristled as he sunk into the shore, wishing the muddy waters would swallow him up. "S-sorry," he apologized. "I thought you were someone else." From a distance the strange cat looked a lot like his mentor, and he remembered watching the flaming trees crashing down on him as he tried to evacuate the camp.
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Post by max adeline on Jun 13, 2018 14:44:19 GMT -5
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Post by dood on Jun 13, 2018 15:16:45 GMT -5
She noticed the kit quickly change the ending of her name, but quickly shrugged it off. "It's a pretty name," she chuckled, "you're definitely strong to get out of that mess. I'm Jess." She looked down at the dirty kit, partly n pity, and another part curiosity. "Where are you going, Rose?"
Duckpaw didn't take his eyes of the stranger as he slowly shook his head, fear keeping him stuck to the river. He couldn't afford to trust this cat, even if the forest was burning doesn't mean he might not attack him. Strange cats could do anything.
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Post by max adeline on Jun 14, 2018 5:30:05 GMT -5
"I know." Rose replied, shying away slightly. She noticed the she-cat - Jess - staring at her. Self-consciously she began to groom her fur. "I don't know exactly. I'm waiting to see how long this fire lasts...I want to go back to the forest if there's still a forest left to go to." She explained in between tugging burrs out of her long fur.
Wedner snorted at his lack of reply. "Well, kit, I was being friendly, but if you're going to give me the silent treatment, then why don't you get going? You know, find a new home since your pretty tail to go since there's not going to be much left of this one." He tried to make his voice sound sarcastic and humourous, but it just came out kind of mean. He shook it away. It didn't matter what impression he gave this little Clan cat anyway, did it?
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Post by dood on Jun 14, 2018 8:52:58 GMT -5
She sighed in pity at the kit, and turned briefly to look at the forest and bright sky. "That might be awhile." She looked down on her again and lowered herself to her height. "Would you like some help?"
He stiffened at the harsh words of the cat he assumed to be a rogue, and looked down at his paws. "S-sorry." He twitched his ears before looking back up at him. "A-and I'm not a kit." He tried to sound brave, despite his wavering voice and hunched body.
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Post by max adeline on Jun 14, 2018 14:13:08 GMT -5
Wedner shrugged. "No apologies necessary. We don't know each other, I wouldn't expect any other attitude towards me." His dark brown eyes zeroed in on the flames and smoke that veiled the once so beautiful forest. He felt a heavy presence in his chest. Hopefully some of at least one of this tom's acquaintances made it out. "Sure you aren't. You're smaller than a mole! Shouldn't you still be with your mother?"
Rose licked at her chest and hesitated to respond to Jess, averting her eyes. "I..." She craned her neck and tried to get at a knot of bristles tangled near the end of her spine. "Could you help me with that, yea?" The she-kit tried not to back up warily. It would take awhile to make her pelt look presentable.
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Post by dood on Jun 14, 2018 14:25:48 GMT -5
Duckpaw narrowed his eyes and finally stood up."No! You're just big!" The sound of crashing branches caught his attention and he turned back to face the forestas trees came toppling down. "No," he whispered as he sat in the muddy water. "No no no no." He felt the heat from the fire burn away the last of his hopes. He'd seen the camp when the flames crashed in, as they suffocated his loved ones. For all he knew, he was the only one left.
Jess chuckled and started taking the burs out of the small kit's pelt, licking it to try and clean it of ash. "You didn't come alone, did you?"
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Post by max adeline on Jun 14, 2018 14:59:40 GMT -5
Wedner frowned and got a little closer to the kit. He flicked the tip of his tail at Duckpaw's shoulder and meowed, "Hey, I know how it feels to lose someone..." really, Wedner had no idea what else to say, and found himself offering, "if you need someone to hang with for a bit until you can sort things out or are at least grown enough to fend off a badger on your own, I'm here." He cringed at the mushiness of his own words.
Pulling away, Rose tried to ignore Jess' question. "Is there any place for me to stay until the forest isn't on fire?" She asked in response instead, shaking her body to rid it of the sensation of being back in her mother's tight curl around her. Would Flowerblaze condone getting so close to a cat that was pretty much a kittypet? She didn't know. She didn't much want to find out either, as Jess grooming her reminded her too much of Flowerblaze. It was something she didn't know if she'd ever really feel again.
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Post by dood on Jun 14, 2018 15:10:12 GMT -5
Jess looked down at Rose in understanding and nodded. She had no idea how the kit was feeling, she couldn't imagine how much it'd hurt to lose everything so quickly. "There's an abandoned place a couple loners and I borrow. You're more than welcome to stay as long as you need."
He sniffed and looked down at his paws, trying not to cry in grief. Everyone was gone, his whole family and way of life had literally burst into flames. He mumbled out the only response he could think of, "No cat can fight a badger themselves."
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Post by Morior on Jun 14, 2018 15:13:06 GMT -5
A young grey tom ducked under some falling branches as the fire raged, just barely avoiding them. He coughed from the smoke and ash which made his eyes water but he still tried to keep a lookout at the burning branches above him. He finally spotted the edge of the forest ahead and rushed for it, halting only once he'd reached a small stream far from the treeline. He rolled in the stream, glad to feel the cool water on his fur after the heat of the fire, before getting up and padding along the bank of it.
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Post by shark on Jun 14, 2018 16:33:46 GMT -5
The fire had caught their attention early on. Ragdoll had wanted to leave immediately, uneasy in the face of the inferno, but Dog had fixed his calculating eyes on the forest and started steadily treading towards it. Dog, ironically enough, was a cat. The largest cat Ragdoll had ever seen, actually. He had towered above even the biggest kittypet, stray or clan cat they had ever encountered, and they had met many. He was an intimidating tom, even now as he was lazily scaling a large rock to get a better view of the blazing treetops beyond the dry river. She supposed they did make an impressive pair, together, him with his massive form and long, dark brown and cream tabby coat, and her too-bright blue eyes on an almost black face, in the stark contrast to her pale body. Ragdolls dark tail twitched nervously as she watched the destruction unfold in front of them. "Well, well, well," Dog mused, his yellow eyes fixed on the flickering flames. "Look at that. The... clan cats have set their forest on fire." "You don't think it was the heat? The dry spell?" "Who knows," the tabby anwered. "It is a shame though. It was a rather nice place to take a walk, wasn't it?" "Y-yes," Ragdoll stuttered. "Can we go back home now?" In the distance a cat yowled loudly, then they could see another grove of trees falling. "I don't like it here," she added. Dog lazily dropped into a laying position on his rock, seemingly disregarding the unnerving sounds. "No," he drawled. "I want to watch a little longer. If you want to go, suit yourself." Ragdoll swished her tail nervously and began watching the trees burn again. Smoke was the only thing the cream and dark coloured siam cat could smell and she feared she would be smelling it for a long time. Still, she wouldn't leave just yet. Not until Dog did too. That was, after all, how it had always been: Where Dog went, she did too.
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Post by Morior on Jun 14, 2018 17:02:02 GMT -5
The grey tom stared around the horizon once he'd had enough of staring at the burning forest. Surely all the prey would've gone far from there now, and he was getting hungry. He turned and padded on in the direct opposite direction, heading upwind and checking for prey scents through the fading smell of smoke.
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Post by max adeline on Jun 14, 2018 19:00:50 GMT -5
Rose smiled at that. It wasn't genuine though, just a forced look of gratitude to show Jess that she was fine. "Neat! Can you show me where it is?" She mewled, shifting her paws. She was eager to get as far away from the smoke and radiating heat as she could for now.
Chuckling at that, the black cat nudged his shoulder. "I thought that was what you Clan cats were taught? How to fight badgers single-pawed and take down rabid squirrels and such." Wedner looked down at Duckpaw for a moment, trying not to notice his sniffling sadness. "You are a Clan cat, right? Who are you, after all?" Wedner asked. He raised his head at the sound of ripples and splashes a ways away; glancing around, he could've sworn he saw a figure urgently rushing into the water just as he had, but he couldn't quite tell. Wedner parted his jaws and inhaled the air cautiously, not wanting to get a breath full of smoke. There were definitely other cats nearby...one, two, maybe three. It was hard to distinguish due to the stench of burning brush, though he began to stand on edge anyway, never knowing his senses to fail him.
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Post by Morior on Jun 14, 2018 20:09:10 GMT -5
Out of the tall grass of the field the young tom saw a rabbit shoot out and away from him. He bunched up his legs and gave chase, running quickly and catching up to it. It shriekd in surprised as he bit into it's neck, as if it had been running from the fire and had not noticed him. He picked it up but it was nearly half his size. It was too much for him to eat so he wondered if there were others around who had survived the fire. He started to drag it back to the dried riverbed.
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Post by dood on Jun 14, 2018 20:53:58 GMT -5
Jess stood up and twitched tail, gesturing for Rose to follow as she padded back to the post.
Duckpaw was oblivious to the new cats, allowing his grief to consume him. "They don't teach us that," he protested. "...my name is Duckpaw."
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Post by max adeline on Jun 15, 2018 5:42:40 GMT -5
Wedner nearly burst out laughing, but he refrained himself, not wanting to offend the young Clan cat, but genuinely both confused and amused at the name he had. " Duckpaw? Seriously? I mean I guess it's no weirder than Wedner." His whiskers twitched and he looked over his shoulder again, then peered past Duckpaw at a figure coming near the river again, this time dragging am object he couldn't quite make out. "I hope that's not a companion of his." Wedner muttered, gesturing for Duckpaw to look at the male cat a little farther down the bank. "That's not one of your Clan family is it?" He asked. Rose nodded 'okay,' and followed the black-and-white she-cat slowly, looking back a few times. The wall was so tall, even after they'd gotten quite some fox-lengths from it, she still couldn't see over it. Black smoke still billowed out, though. She hesitated again, reluctant to leave behind her home to venture any farther into kittypet turf. "How far is it? Will I be able to find my way back afterwards?" [ Sparkly if shark or anyone doesn't roleplay with you i can make a new character. just thought i'd say cause i didn't want you to think you'd go ignored, i'd feel bad haha. woops cx - ]]
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Post by shark on Jun 15, 2018 6:12:52 GMT -5
Dog slowly got to his feet, his eyes still focused somewhere in the distance. Ragdoll followed his line of sight to see a small form come to stop in an area of burned trees a short ways of to the left from where they were sitting. Her friend started to walk, but not away from the fire like she wished he would, but towards it. "Dog! How about we don't go there!" "I'm curious," he answered. "But what if the fire comes back -" "The wind is blowing in the opposite direction, the fire is not spreading that way anymore. It's perfectly safe. We'll just have a quick look." Reluctantly she got up as well to follow him. "If we die that's on you," she mumbled and went after him.
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Post by Morior on Jun 15, 2018 12:13:57 GMT -5
Lichenpaw pricked his ears, hearing two cats talking somewhere. He saw the two shapes of Dog and Ragdoll on the horizon and dragged the rabbit towards them, hoping they wouldn't run off or attack him by the time he got there. He couldn't say anything to greet them with the rabbit in his mouth so he raised his tail and tried to look as friendly as he could, which wasn't hard given his size and the prey he carried.
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Post by shark on Jun 15, 2018 13:42:58 GMT -5
They entered the remains of the forest. It got steadily warmer as they moved through the still warm ashes and burned trees. Ragdoll shivered uneasily and quickened her steps, pressing closer to Dogs side. He however stopped, his bushy ears alert. From out the burned thicket a kitten - or a rather small cat, but Ragdoll assumed it was more likely a kit, dragging a large something towards them. "Do we know who that is?" Ragdoll whispered. "No," Dog answered but seemed more interested in walking further into the strip of burned forest than stopping to talk to someone. And they weren't far enough yet for this to be the cat they had seen from the rocks. "Shouldn't we stop to talk to him?" she asked, throwing a look over her shoulder at the approaching kitten. "If you want to, you can," the large tom shrugged. "I want to go a bit further." Ragdoll hesistated. On one side, she wanted to check on that little cat to see if they were okay, on the other... She went where Dog went.
[Sparkly, if you want Dog to come talk to Leafstep and/or Maia, I'll split them up here. They were originally headed in the direction of Leafstep. Or I could make another charakter to talk to one of them as well.]
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Post by dood on Jun 15, 2018 13:51:48 GMT -5
Duckpaw furrowed his brows in frustration as the rogue laughed at his name. "There's nothing wrong with Duckpaw!" He argued. He followed Wedner's faze to the mysterious cat down the river. He squinted at it, unable to make it out. "I dunno, they're too far away." He told him.
"It's just over this hill," Jess explained to her, stopping and pointing to the hill in question with her tail. "I can show you the way back here later if you'd like?" She suggested.
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Post by Morior on Jun 15, 2018 14:05:26 GMT -5
Lichenpaw picked up the pace to catch up to the two and set the rabbit down once he got close enough. "I've got prey here to share if you need some." He meowed. He picked it up again and climbed up to a flat spot on a rock to sit down.
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Post by shark on Jun 15, 2018 14:18:21 GMT -5
Ragdoll was relieved that the small cat was okay, even carrying around a rabbit and seemingly mostly concerned about eating. She shook her head when he offered them food though. "No, I don't think so," Dog drawled. He looked impatient - he wanted to go on. "We spotted some more cats further up by the river though," Ragdoll offered instead, trying to be at least a little helpful. "We're fine, but they might need it."
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Post by Morior on Jun 15, 2018 14:21:48 GMT -5
Lichenpaw nodded and picked the rabbit up again, hopping down from the rock and padding down along the riverbed. His mouth watered already at the scent of the fresh-kill but he was still concerned with the fire and kept a wide berth of the forest.
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Pansexual
Sparkly
Unofficial Forum President, and the unofficial patrol saint of black cats with blue eyes.
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Post by Sparkly on Jun 15, 2018 15:08:03 GMT -5
They entered the remains of the forest. It got steadily warmer as they moved through the still warm ashes and burned trees. Ragdoll shivered uneasily and quickened her steps, pressing closer to Dogs side. He however stopped, his bushy ears alert. From out the burned thicket a kitten - or a rather small cat, but Ragdoll assumed it was more likely a kit, dragging a large something towards them. "Do we know who that is?" Ragdoll whispered. "No," Dog answered but seemed more interested in walking further into the strip of burned forest than stopping to talk to someone. And they weren't far enough yet for this to be the cat they had seen from the rocks. "Shouldn't we stop to talk to him?" she asked, throwing a look over her shoulder at the approaching kitten. "If you want to, you can," the large tom shrugged. "I want to go a bit further." Ragdoll hesistated. On one side, she wanted to check on that little cat to see if they were okay, on the other... She went where Dog went. [Sparkly, if you want Dog to come talk to Leafstep and/or Maia, I'll split them up here. They were originally headed in the direction of Leafstep. Or I could make another charakter to talk to one of them as well.] (Either is fine. )
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