IF THE STARS WERE MADE TO WORSHIP SO WILL I // o, intro
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❛❛ ashfolly ❟❟
did you see the flares?
ashfolly couldn't help but purr as she approached.
"sure does. nothing can compare," she agreed, then crouched so she was at eye level with the kit. "and what are you doing out so late, huh? parents finallty give you room to run? let me tell you, you picked a good time for a first glimpse. it's much prettier at night."
this little one had been born so small-- ash remembered the commotion. she understood the fierce protectiveness her parents exhibited, but honestly, it was so good to finally see the kitten escaping into the outdoors for once.
she had a feeling this one would make an eager apprentice when the time came, if a small one.
someone's
out there
//ooc: -
― Minnowripple's nightmares had often made it next to impossible to sleep for long. Even when the night sky was at its peak for stargazing, she would twitch and writhe uncomfortably in her nest until she awoke with a soundless gasp of shock. Every night this happened, and yet she was thankful that no one complained or noticed when it happened.
Scraps of moss and other such debris were quickly groomed from her pelt; she had to make it lookk as if she had a good night's rest every day, or else people would start to worry about her. But she wasn't a kit. She shouldn't be having these realistic nightmares.
Minnowripple held back a sigh as the apprentice-sized warrior pushed herself to her paws, carefully maneuvering past the sleeping forms of her clanmates to step into the open clearing and take in a breath of fresh, cool air. Her attention, rather than being drawn to the stars above, had landed on the shape of a cat crouched beside a much smaller feline. She imagined it was a queen and her kit before she approached, recognizing the ever-energetic Ashfolly and gazing down at the younger she-kit. She was very tiny, but the gray warrior figured she was also quite small.
"Just wait until the night of the full moon: the whole territory would be bathed in light." She hummed in a soft, hushed tone, deciding to take a seat since she figured a change in pace would be helpful. "But I would still be careful coming out so late; not all animals sleep when the sky is dark." Minnowripple was thinking of Owls specifically; she'd heard of a tale where a kitten was snatched right up by one.
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I'D RIP MY WORLD DOWN
A purr. It caused her to jump, her black hairs standing on end. The way she moved downward, the way she was suddenly eye-level with the kit. It had caused her to back up, shaking slightly. She had asked her something! Oh... oh. She should respond. Stammering, the black smoke remarks, "U-um yeah. J-just a bit o-outside the nursery. D-don't want me to get hurt! B-b-b-but... Yes, the stars are very pretty! I'm glad this is-is my first sight." She tried to look as normal as possible, even adding a small smile. It was obviously forced.
Well, it appeared that another one could not sleep. Hearing the soft pawsteps, Miraclekit was ready to dash into the nursery. What were these cats gonna do to her? Even if they were small, they were a lot bigger than she'd ever be! They could do what they wanted. However, their tones didn't suggest it. It was especially Minnowripple's that calmed the kitten, letting more of her fur rest and lay down. She watched as the gray warrior took a seat, and heeded her warning. "I w-would l-love going a f-full moon trip! A-and I'll be... be careful! K-keep m-m-my eyes out!"
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WHEN TOMORROW COMES — tempestpaw — riverclan — tags
RiverClan seemed to be finding its fair share of kittens recently, but Miraclekit had been around for a little while, so there wasn't as much curiosity written on Tem's face as there might have been around a complete stranger. And she was a miracle, really, so small when she had been born but still alive. Tempestpaw approached the small group, sitting down next to Ashfolly, and offered the kitten a nod of greeting.
"On the full moon, all of the bigger warriors and apprentices gather for a meeting called a Gathering. All of the Clans come, and there is no fighting for that night. It's ... kind of beautiful, actually." She hadn't been to one since before her capture, but she would be more diligent in visiting the future ones. Especially since Galewhisper was in BloodClan now; hopefully he would come to them as well.
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❛❛ ashfolly ❟❟
did you see the flares?
something in ashfolly's stomach twisted at the way miraclekit startled.
oh, no...
she could be reading into this too much. she knew she could. but this looked familiar, and-- and ash didn't like the way the kitten's eyes looked like her own, back when ash still had both.
it was so long ago that it happened, but you never do forget.
"well, i'm glad you like them. and, yeah, it'll be even better when the moon's full. next time i'll make sure you get to see it, okay?" she tried to speak more quietly, and stepped back a bit, giving the kid space.
she pressed her flank against tem's as the other girl approached, happy to see the way her clanmates interacted with the little kitten. miraclekit certainly seemed less afraid, especially after minnowripple spoke.
someone's
out there
//ooc: -
"more like terrifying.." came the voice of the not so happy beekit. his tail curled, as he looked at the stars, unsure what to make out of them. bright balls of nothing, if you asked him. he really had not been taught of the sky and the stars that came with them. therefore, he had nothing to say about them. no one he really talked to was here, since his sister was dead and his other sister was probably pre-occupied doing apprentice things. things he was way too frightened to do.
"BE CAREFUL WITH ME" & TAGS
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❛❛ ashfolly ❟❟
did you see the flares?
ashfolly shifted, sad and uncomfortable at the sight of beekit.
he didn't like her anymore. she knew that much.
her best friend's child, the adoptive son of her own mother. her little brother by choice, and family by any definition. she'd tried so hard for him and the others. and then the river had taken her from him, and when she returned he was oh so different.
"aw, beekit... c'mon, they're pretty, aren't they? at least a little bit." ashfolly tried to keep her tone light and gentle, teasing fondly and not prying, knowing he wouldn't accept any kind of sympathy from her. stormy hadn't, and ashfolly had learned that lesson. it still stung, hearing stormypaw's words echo in her head.
"don't call me that."
not even the most familiar of endearments was allotted to her anymore. ashfolly didn't get to love these kids. she knew it now, even if she hadn't at first.
someone's
out there
//ooc: -
― The poor kit looked like she was about to jump right out of her skin! Minnowripple's resulting smile was small, falling silent as the others began to speak to one another. Her head just barely turned to acknowledge Tempestpaw and Beekit as they approached; rather, her chin would incline as she became lost in thought.
Something important to her happened in the night of a full moon. Many of the others had left for the gathering– it was storming. A tom she had never met before yet remembered from her dreams was striding ahead of her towards the muddy, churning river.
Her head snapped up as she forced the thought out of her head, thick fur bristling with internal terror and her heart roaring in her ears. It seemed like that happened just before where many of her nightmares took place: at the river, where that familiarly-unfamiliar tom would be crushed under a powerful surge from the river.
Minnowripple's gaze dropped, trying to soothe herself before anyone questioned her for her unprecedented fear; no one needed to worry about her nightmares. With a small flick of the tip of her tail, her gaze shifted up towards the stars.
"I heard that they are our ancestors: every star is someone from the clans who has died." Warmth seeped into her tone at this, as she could finally relax again.
"I think StarClan lives up there? I'll have to ask my dad." When he started coming out more, at least; he's been this way ever since her mother's death and when her sister left for BloodClan. Her uncle, Grizzledtooth, didn't believe in StarClan, so she couldn't ask him.
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Dunekit
Dunekit smiled lazily upon entering the scene, his posture relaxed. Ah, stars? Hm. They definitely were interesting. Tiny little spots of energy, buzzing in the sky, shining just for the world. Dunekit wondered if anyone would ever shine just for him. If anyone ever did.
“StarClan, hm?” The fawn brown child chuckled. He didn’t believe in StarClan. Coming from outside of the clan, where Ravensong found him, he had never believed in a heaven. Dune liked to believe after he died, his spirit would go to some other creature. Like a beetle or a lion. Anything else.
“If that’s true, I wonder if someday there will be so many stars, the whole sky will be bright white, full of so many stars”
(c)trexgirl
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tags ✦ ✧ ✦ Shrikecall was a night owl, and most nights, he found himself up late, watching the stars or talking to his clanmates. As it happened, on this particular night, he was heading toward the nursery to check on his mate and kits. The sight of his sleeping children never failed to arouse warmth within the dark furred tom: they were his little miracles, a gift from StarClan, a final chance to patch things up with his mate and form a picture perfect family.
As he slipped toward the nursery, a small group caught his attention—specifically the cat within the center of the group, his own little Miraclekit. For a moment, anger and frustration clouded the black smoke's mind. What was she doing out alone? She could catch a chill or get hurt. She was still so small. Lean shoulders straightening, he turned toward the small gathering.
"Miraclekit." The warrior's tone was lit with fondness as he bent over his daughter and offered her a rough lick between the ears. "Why aren't you in the nursery? Does your mother know you're here?" Trust his wife not to be able to keep an eye on three kits. Sometimes, it felt like he was single handedly raising them, while she let them run about as they pleased. "You know you can't wander out alone, darling. I don't want you to get hurt." Hurt: his biggest fear, that something would happen to one of his little miracles, and once again, his world would come crashing down.
Shrikecall twisted slightly, remembering the other cats surrounding them, and relented, "You can stay out a little longer, but then I want you straight to bed." He, himself, would stay to watch her. Maybe his wife had let Miraclekit out alone, but he was going to supervise and protect her until she was safely returned to her nest. Rocking back on his hindlegs, his tail snaked out to wrap around his daughter. "Of course StarClan is true. The reason the stars shine so brightly is because they're shining with love for the Clans." Or so he had heard, and given the fact that StarClan had saved his children when their early birth meant they were more likely to die, he wasn't given to doubting them.
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Littlepond had been dozing off in the nursery. She was always tired nowadays as her kits were growing up and becoming more energetic. The she-cat had been spending long days doting over her recent litter while her mate was out hunting or doing patrols. Raising the perfect family was a heavy weight on the shoulders of the mother, who knew she had to get these children to grow up into fine warriors. It almost seemed impossible at times, but it was always the faith in StarClan that kept her going. StarClan, and the hope that one day she'd reconcile with her husband and have their love blossom once again. Oh how she missed those times. She ached for the intense fire of passion that lit up the spark between them during those midnight meetings at the border. Her dreams reflected this wistfulness. She wanted nothing more than than to have the family she had grown up wishing for.
However, something roused the sleeping tabby queen from her sleep. The voice of many cats crowded outside the den wormed its way into her dreams and slowly brought her back to reality. The sleepy fog that encompassed her barely-awake state blocked out specific words. Well, almost. One word stood out among the garbled mess of speech that was came from outside the den. That word was Miraclekit. The moment her daughter's name registered in her brain, her bright amber eyes fluttered open and she leapt to her feet. She made it to the exit of the cozy den in almost one stride, careful not to step on any of her other kits in the process. The she-cat burst out of the nursery, fear glittering in her eyes.
"Where's Miraclekit? What happened to-" Littlepond cut herself off as she saw her daughter safe amongst the small crowd of cats. A relieved gasp escaped her mouth and she immediately leaned down to touch her nose to her kit's forehead. She stayed silent for a few moments before speaking once again, "you can't leave the den alone, little one! Mama was sleeping! Oh please don't do that again- you could've gotten hurt!" The queen lifted her head and regained her composure, taking a few deep breaths before turning her attention to the cats around them. "Thank you all for looking out for her, I..." She trailed off as she noticed her mate was one of the cats in this group. She could see the exhaustion in the weary tom's eyes and forced a sympathetic smile onto her face. She had been faking emotions for so long it just came naturally to her. "Darling, why don't you sleep in the nursery tonight with me and the kits? I'm sure they'd love your company." Whenever she offered this, it usually meant that she knew he was stressed. She didn't want to let her clanmates know about her husband's disorders. After all, they were the perfect family.
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I'D RIP MY WORLD DOWN
Was everyone in this clan night owls? They sure seemed to be, with the amount of cats that was now crowding the kitten that could have been easily mistaken for a mouse. Next who came up was Tempestpaw, who seemed to be an amazing cat. And she didn't just say that because the two kinda looked alike. From what she knew, Tempest was a very kind-hearted she-cat. A Gathering , huh? "S-So, I won't be able to see it until I'm an apprentice, b-b-best case scenario? But that's so f-far from now!" Her voice held almost a pouting sense.
Well, it appeared her question got answered by the somewhat small cat, Ashfolly, who appeared to be thinking. Saying she would get the kitten up. For once, a genuine smile crept onto her face. "R-r-really? Oh! Oh, thank y-you so much!" The kitten purrs, about to get onto her paws.
That was, until she heard the voice of little Beekit. He did not sound happy, at all. He usually never was, so scared of things, and he was two moons older than she was! "Be-Beekit... look past how terrifying they are. Think of how pretty they are, how they fill a v-v-void with bits of light, so we can see. A-and appreciate that we are here to see th-them." Her meow was gentle, silver-blue eyes holding empathy. She knows what it's like to be scared, too.
Her gaze fell on Minnowripple, seeing bits of fur stand up. She watches her thick fur stand on end-- and realizes that she would have to talk to Minnowripple later. Too many people were around right now. It would do more harm calling her out right now. She turns her worried gaze away.
Yet another voice, and another kitten. What! How many kittens could be awake right now? She wanted some alone time. The anxiety was coming back, she felt a bit swarmed and she stood up for a brief moment, tapping her paws on the ground. Though, unlike her solid fawn friend, she was a believer. She believed that StarClan would hold all their souls. "W-w-w-welll... not f-for a l-long t-time. Some st-stars are d-dimmer than oth-others..." She trails off, biting her tongue.
She hadn't noticed her night owl father, the one who desperately wanted a picture perfect family. They would become one, at least on the outside. But shattering the frame would open one's eyes, let them see. As if his protectiveness over her extended to that frame, that it would never be broken. That was, until she heard more pawsteps and turned her head. For a brief moment, terror filled her eyes before she went back to pretending everything was fine. She was still a bit shaky, evening with the rasp and the loving words. She was still getting chastised, at least that is what she thought. "Um... M-mother is sleeping," she says, a sort of sheepish answer, and one that truly didn't answer his question. "Ah... o-okay. Af-After I'm done." Of course, now this meant that she would be by her ever so loving father all the time. This was simply proven when he sat down, gently laying his tail around the black smoke.
And, Miraclekit had a thought of waking her mother, but the way that Littlepond slept-- smiling, happy for once, Mira didn't want to ruin that. In fact, she thought her mother would have been sleeping. But nope. She had came out of the nursery, her voice seemingly fearful and it showed in her glittering gold eyes. She turned towards Mama, attempting to smile sheepishly. Uh oh. She was gonna be in trouble now. The black smoke nearly jumped when Littlepond touched her forehead with her nose, something a caring mother should have done. At getting scolded, though appearing gently, her tail and ears drooped and she meowed, "Okay... I won't go b-by myself a-again." With a warrior or someone else, on the other paw? Probably. Watching her call their father, Miraclekit nodded. Even if her father was... "different" than others, she would be happy to have his protective touch on them. "Y-yeah! It-It'll be f-fun, Papa!"
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tags ✦ ✧ ✦ Mother is sleeping.All that told Shrikecall was the Miraclekit had sneaked out (who knew how many times this had happened before?) and that Littlepond wasn't keeping a close enough eye on the children. How could she just fall asleep and let the smaller smoke wander away? He focused on pushing the negative thoughts away. Miraclekit and her siblings were supposed to represent a new period in their parents' relationship, one that wasn't marred by strife. He had to try keeping a more open mind, or things would remain rocky between him and Littlepond.
Had he been any less adept at wearing masks, his clanmates might have noticed the rage that bellowed within him when Littlepond emerged from the nursery. Sleeping indeed! He gave no outward sign of his roiling emotions, although they would doubtless disturb his sleep tonight, bringing forth pulsing memories of cats screeching and claws flashing...Shrikecall shuddered slightly as he shook the thoughts away, although it was harder to clear the haunted look from his mismatched eyes.
Mindful of the cats around them, as always, he simply gave his daughter a sharp look, one meant to inform her that he wasn't going to forget this, although the onlookers were more likely to misinterpret it as an overprotective father worried about the hijinks his offspring was getting into.
He wanted to confront Littlepond about Miraclekit's little escapade, but it was neither the time nor place for that. Besides, the taupe queen's offer cooled his rage. He wasn't sure if her sympathy was sincere, but he liked to think that it was, and that she was looking out for him—one of the traits that had attracted her to him in the first place. Likely as he was to wake up with a nightmare, it would be nice to have Littlepond to comfort him. Miraclekit's stuttering murmur cinched the deal, and he nodded. "Ok. I'd like that."
Turning back to Miraclekit, he prompted, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask your friends before it's time for bed?"