|Spirits of Shikoku| ~Main RP Thread~

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    Three days ago, a minor earthquake struck near the home of the Spirits. There were no fatalities, but there were possibly some casualties and it left the camp quite destroyed. Ever since, the citizens of the Spirits have been working to clear away the rubble so that the camp will be functional again. Everyone is pitching in, though the guardians with their muscular bodies make up the bulk of the workforce, and most of the gatherers continue to hunt and run errands for the Kami-speaker.


    ---


    Moth sat on her perch overlooking the camp, golden eyes fixed on the horizon, where the welcoming sun was just beginning to peek over the low-sloping mountains in the distance. Her softly angular face bore a look of calmness, but the empress’ countenance was false. It was evident in the way that her lean muscles tensed underneath her glossy brown pelt that something was troubling her.


    Three sunrises, she reflected, with a slight note of despair tinting her thoughts. It had been three sunrises since the earth had shivered, and the Spirits were still making slow progress in clearing away the rubble that it had left in its wake. The previous night, the empress had refrained from observing the results of a day’s hard toiling, afraid of what she would see. But today, she vowed her petty fear would be no more. Slowly, Moth allowed herself to peer down into the small gorge only a few tail-lengths below her paws.


    It was the time of morning when the land was swathed in a light shade. The slight touch of darkness that pervaded her home gave the stretch of rocky outcropping below her a nondescript look; there were no defining shadows, but light was also absent. In this sort of surreal reality, Moth happily observed that while much rubble still remained, they had indeed made good progress the day before. If we work hard today, we should be able to clear away the rock covering the pupil’s den, and the rest we may be able to leave…


    A comfortably warm breeze ruffled her fur and, like the static branches of a tree prompted into movement, the empress jumped down gracefully from her perch. This time, she truly scanned the area, assessing which cats were also up and about.

    The post was edited 1 time, last by Łιттᴌε Łσттε ().

    The black based cat with white was sharpening his claws against the rock before he helped drag some heavy things the Gatherers needed move to the desire location. Yes, he was a small cat and had to look up at anyone but the Pupils and Kits, but that didn't matter. He had long legs and was swift, agile. Using those three elements to his advantage so he'd have the upper-hand in battle.


    Like anyone who didn't know him, would think he was a Gatherer but he was actually the Master Guardian. Thirty one moons, older then his younger sisters, and his name actually meant Hanged. His name was Kōshukei. The cat's bobbed tail twitched, as he glanced around; the earthquake had destroyed the camp quite a bit.


    Kōshukei's regular-sized ears; the rest of his family having short ears, listened carefully. After he was done sharpening his claws, he walked over to the pupil's den swiftly and wasted no time using his weight to try and move the rock.


    "None of you better be sleeping, you should be helping!" The cat's angry voice shouted to the Guardians who might possibly be sleeping. Kōshukei wouldn't be able to push the rock all by himself and would need help. The clan wouldn't need him to have any sore or broken bones and it would only be another problem for the Kami-Speaker.


    Kōshukei just put his shoulder against the rock and kept trying to walk against it. Digging his claws into the earth so he wouldn't slip or be pushed back because of the resistance. His dull green eyes were sparked with anger at all those who were wasting their time to get their so called sleep. He usually showed self control when it came to emotions, but not when it came to the clan. Kōshukei simply saw it as them choosing sleep, something they could get whenever they wanted over their own clan who needed their help.

    The post was edited 1 time, last by wonderland ?! ().

    Hinata abruptly awoke as she heard the unmistakable shouts of the master guardian. Yawning, the drowsy white she-cat shook sleep from her fur and glanced around the den. Some of the cats, she observed, were already awake and gone. This, coupled with Koshukei's yowling, prompted her to rise slowly to her paws and make her way out into the morning.


    As her frost blue eyes adjusted to the lighter environment, she saw the empress calmly padding over the the black and white tom to help. Stopping only for a quick stretch, Hinata bounded over to assist the pair. "Don't push yourself, master," she mewed airily. She understood the tom's frustration, but she also knew that many of the guardians were tired from the work they had done the previous day. She ended up nestled between Moth and Koshukei as she pushed against the rock. It gave a little under their combined weight, and a satisfaction briefly flickered inside her.

    Kōshukei nodded at Hinata, the rock slowly started to move. A forth cat would have to be added if they were to move it; maybe five. If only his father was awake, though he didn't really care about that at all. As they made slow process, he made sure he kept up his strength going slow sometimes, then putting full effort in moving the rock.


    Kōshukei also listened for other Guardians that might help them push the rock, it could possibly be used as a good cat barrier, if they took their time and slowly got it to where it could work. Not fall if there was another earthquake because that would be all bad. No cat's needed to be crushed at all.

    Origin had gotten up early that morning, as was typical. And after the earth shivered, leaving a great deal of earthy debris in its aftershocks, the brown tabby had been working to push a few of the rocks around with any cats that had been around to help him. The current one he fixated on was quite a bit smaller, and one that he was clearing from near the Gatherers' den to avoid any cat tripping over it or some other heinous, silly thing that would most definitely cause unnecessary injury.


    Fumbling with the stone with his front paws, he cleared the thing with little effort before he smiled and pat it down near an open crevice at the side of camp with a light touch. "Now, you stay there," he commanded the hard piece of earth, displaying a near look of satisfaction that it, inevitably, did as it was told. "There you go. Good rock!"


    Now that that was done, he could... get back to his actual duties of hunting and all that jazz. ...You know, where were the other Gatherers, anyway? Breathing with a mild sigh, he maneuvered to the Gatherers' den and peered in, almost cautiously, and mewed, "'Ey guys, the Guardians are out here hard at work and you're just sleeping? Let's get going! The prey isn't going to hunt itself!"


    No, because that would be stupid. And far too convenient...


    Pawing past his fellow Spirits, Origin noted a few of them, Kōshukei, the Master Guardian among them, struggling to move a particularly large rock, and looked back towards them. "Oh, hey! Need some help? I know I'm not a Guardian or anything, but I figured it couldn't hurt to offer."

    Hinata greeted the master gatherer with a silent flick of her stumpy tail. She figured he looked awake enough, and they could use all the help they could find. "Come on over," the white she-cat mewed to him, her icy blue eyes welcoming. Then her eyes spotted another figure padding out of the hollow tree the guardians and gatherers shared. "Father!" Hinata called, her voice failing to be commanding. As his head swiveled toward her and his blue eyes bore into her fur, she jerked her head towards the rock. The light lynx point's whiskers twitched in what she hoped was eagerness, and the old cat padded over to join them.


    "One of the last pieces, eh?" Akira mewed offhandedly to Moth, who nodded shortly. "It could be useful 'round the nursery, if we can move it; those trees could use some more protection from the wind." Without waiting for comment on his statement, he took up a place on the other side of Koshukei.


    Koi gave a long, dramatic yawn, padding to join the cats working and toiling away in the camp. Had his 'little nap' really lasted longer than he intended? He scanned the camp for Lotus, his sister. Not finding her, his guilt felt a little more bearable.


    His golden eyes caught Moth's as she was in one of her many silent conversations with her followers. She had a way, it seemed, of having an entire dialogue with someone and not even saying a word. He wondered how Lotus and she didn't get along better.


    Maybe because Lotus was such a... Hmm, how to put it. Such an interesting cat.


    His flicked his tail in greeting to the master gatherer. "Sorry for the delay, Boss," he mewed. "I only meant to close my eyes for a bit. It's been a rough patch."

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    As the rock slowly began to move out of the way of the Pupil's den, Kōshukei found himself between cats bigger then himself but that was the usual for him. His black and white fur would have to be groomed after he was done moving the rock, but it was worth it. "It could be useful 'round the nursery, if we can move it; those trees could use some more protection from the wind." Once he heard that, he'd knew he'd have to take a break before even trying to get it over there.


    Lotus made her way back into the territory. Where had she been? She would never tell. It was no one's business. All of the commotion and the work. She just needed to get out and clear her head. Her brother was in another one of his little 'look at me, I'm so great' conversations with Origin; maybe this time it was Moth.


    Despite the fact that Koi's nose was actually brown, Lotus thought him to be quite the brown-noser.


    Quietly, she tried to make her way to the freshkill stock and sneak a snack. Her long walk had drained her of energy, and she would be useless to help if anyone asked.


    That, of course was the trick. She would need to be asked to chip in. Guardian or no, her muscles were sore and she was hungry. Lotus needed a break.

    The post was edited 1 time, last by kαtαtσníc ().

    Origin smiled at the approval given to him by the guardian she-cat and gave his assistance in pushing the large stone towards where Akira ordered it to be taken. Granted, even with their combined forces, the rock barely budged all that much, and it felt like it exerted more force on his body than he ever did upon it. But he would conquer this rock! They all would. It wasn't impossible!


    His virid eyes, by some stroke of luck, just managed to scan over Koi and his ears perked to hear his apologetic words when Origin stopped for a moment to regain his strength. "Ah, it's all right," He glared at the rock momentarily. "Things have been a little... rough lately. But anyway! We're supposed to be hunting to replenish the food supply. And make sure to check with Aaricia to see if she needs anything. Y'know, normal stuff. I'll probably get started soon, too, I just thought I'd help move this stubborn rock first."

    OOC || I'm sure cats probably don't use honorifics, but I couldn't resist making Kiyomi use them -- so I can just make that her own personal quirk, I hope? XD


    IC ||
    From another corner of the ravaged camp, another form slipped toward the cats; a small, petite frame that could be easily identified as Kiyomi. She had been awake earlier, but had been trying to scavenge what herbs she could from their supply patches elsewhere, as some of their stores had been damaged and were in dire need of replacement.



    Truth be told, she had gotten back a bit before now, but had been fervently hoping that Aaricia would show up so that she could assist her tutor in caring for those that had been injured in the earthquake. But with no sign of her yet, Kiyomi was now wandering ever-closer to work effort, her tail and ears down and her eyes struggling to meet those of the others.



    "U-Um," She stammered lightly when she got close enough that her voice could be heard -- which was closer than she would have liked, "Has anyone seen Aaricia-san? I -- I got some herbs, but I can't seem to find her."



    Gods, she should have been helping them, shouldn't she? She hoped she wasn't bothering them. Ultimately, she couldn't help but blurt out, "Is there anything I can do to help...?"

    OOC: That's fine, Chrono. :)


    IC: They began pushing the rock again, and the empress put just as much effort into it as the other cats. She would never use her position as an excuse to shirk any sort of duty she had, oh no. With their combined strength, the rock moved a few small pawsteps away from the den. Now any smaller cat would be able to fit through. Moth ceased her pushing, needing a moment to regain her breath. Glancing to her left, she saw Hinata doing the same, but in a more obvious way. "Whew!" the white she-cat mewed setting down to rest momentarily. "It's like trying to move a tree!"


    Akira examined his daughter with an air of amusement, and Moth turned her attention to the young cat that had padded up to join them. "Good morning, Kiyomi," she mewed with a slight touch of warmth in her golden eyes; but this quickly turned to a worrying as she fully registered the young she-cat's words. Where could the blind Kami-speaker have gone off too? "I have yet to see her this morning."


    When the pupil asked if she could be of use, Moth glanced back at the rock and tried to decide whether her strength would be worth an exhausted Kiyomi. With Aaricia currently absent... "Perhaps you would be better checking up on everyone, or out to collect more herbs; I can't imagine the stores are pretty right now." Her voice was colored with a stiff sort of kindness. "Aaricia could be out as well, so maybe you'd run across her...but take Koi or another gatherer with you, if you decide to go gathering."


    The brown she-cat glanced at Koi as she said the last bit, for she had seen the gatherer pad over to them as they were all pressed against the rock. It wasn't an order--rarely were her words phrased as such--but he seemed available, and the empress didn't feel comfortable letting Kiyomi go out entirely on her own. Then she turned her attention back to the rock. "Shall we try again?" she asked the others.

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    Koi nodded at the Empress's words. "I can do that." He gave a wink to the small Pupil and dipped his head close to hers. "I bet the earthquake stirred up some good prey. They'll be disoriented, so we could make a killing."


    Sometimes, Koi knew, his jokes were only to satisfy himself.


    "What do you say, Boss?" he added, speaking to Origin. "Small hunt for us gatherers? We can take the little scrap with us and learn her a bit of hunting, at least til we spot Aaricia."


    Koi's yellow eyes briefly met Lotus' across camp. What was she doing? Just lying there like there was nothing to do. If he wasn't mistaken, she was chewing. Koi rolled his eyes and returned to his conversation.

    The post was edited 1 time, last by kαtαtσníc ().

    Oh, good. Relief washed through her paws; Kiyomi knew that she would probably have been little to no help at all with the hard labor -- it was never her forte -- and she was thankful that her groupmates knew that. Likewise, she was concerned for the cats that might have been injured in the chaos. She knew her efforts would be better geared toward healing them.


    With only a nod of acknowledgement to her superior, she let her eyes turn to Koi and Origin, silently spectating their discussion. Her ears drooped just the faintest bit when she heard mention of 'teaching her to hunt'. She knew it was necessary, and yet the poor little animals...


    But the dilute torbie mentally reprimanded herself; the Spirits had to eat, so there was no use to her dislike of hunting. As long as she thanked the kami for the blessing of fresh food, there was no dishonor in providing for her fellow cats.


    She only hoped they would find Aaricia before too long. What if she was hurt?


    OOC || Oh, by the way, should I call her Aalicia? I'm not sure now o_o Her name was Aaricia in the original app, but...? -feels dumb XD-

    || I'm not sure, either... :x ||


    "Aaricia isn't around? That's weird..." Origin mewed with an uncomfortable shuffle of his paws. Where could she have gone? A blind Kami-speaker with no fighting experience? Gods, he hoped she was still in camp. She probably was, though. She had to be close by."Well, I'm sure she's all right. We'll find her sooner or later!"


    He attempted to give the rock another push, but to no avail, not that Origin was surprised. The brown tabby submitted a heavy sigh of submission, grateful for the suggestion of something he was good at. He smiled at Koi's enthusiasm, and nodded eagerly in response as he looked to the little she-cat near them. "Sounds like a good idea!" His green eyes sparked towards the tom's sister afterwards, Lotus, seeing as she seemed to occupy Koi's attention. Shouldn't she be helping the other guardians? Yeah, it wasn't his job to boss her around -- no, that was Kōshukei's job -- but still. ...Oh well.


    Beaming with a smile, he bounced up and figured that he wasn't doing much good with this rock, and would be much better off doing... er, his job. Yes, he should likely 'gather' up the rest of his cronies, but if they were content to sleep in their beds, then... well, fine. Their loss. He'd get them later! "I like how you think! Let's get gathering, then! Ready to go, Kiyomi?"

    The post was edited 1 time, last by ○ ғʀоѕту.κιɴѕ ● ().

    OOC: I'm terribly sorry, the letters got switched around in my head. >.< She's still Aaricia! *flees to fix*


    IC: The wind blew.

    "Mind if I t-tag along?" Falling-leaf mewed, stifling a yawn. The brown tabby had been up much of the night hunting and would normally be catching up on his sleep presently, but he had developed a spontaneous bout of insomnia; despite his drowsiness, the patchy tom was too restless to sleep. "It is nice out today, and--oh, don't start, Moth." The tom fixed his vivid green eyes on his sister, who looked as if she was itching to speak. "I'll be under the trees nearly the whole time. It's fine, honestly."


    The brown she-cat closed her mouth and looked away sharply. Seeing the anger there, Falling-leaf let out a quiet sigh before training his gaze back on the others and waiting for a response.


    Koi felt excitement stinging his paws like nettle. He needed to get on the move! Origin, Falling-leaf, Kiyomi... He was so ready to head out of camp for a bit and do what he did best; hunt.


    "All right, it's decided then. Let's get outta here."


    Koi used his tail to dust off his shoulders as if he had been working all day. A few quick stretches, and he was ready to go.




    OOC;; Hunting thread... Lotte, that's still cool, right?
    http://warriorcatsrpg.com/fan-…-hunt-337897.new.html#new

    OOC: Yep, its perfectly fine! :D If any of you want to make accessory threads, one on one threads, or anything of that sort relating the Spirits, you're free to do so. All I ask is that you put the "Spirits of Shikoku" or something in it so I can recognize it, or give me a link; I want to be able to keep track of post counts, after all. ;)


    IC: Moth watched them go out of the corner of her eyes. The empress refused to look up until they had left. Mentally, she soothed herself with her brother's words and some of her own excuses; she tried not to think about the thinness of her reasoning. Mind calm once more, the empress turned to the stone thoughtfully and placed a paw on it...


    ..and to her surprise, it moved. Swiftly glancing at those around her, she saw an equally surprised look upon Hinata's face. The white she-cat, Moth observed, had been resting most of her body against the rock as she had watched the exchange between the gatherers. Now she was truly curious; the rock had barely moved with their combined weight so why was it moving so easily now...? Rising to her paws, Moth began investigating the large stone.


    As it turned out, they had pushed the rock to the top of a minor downward slope. While it was difficult to get it up there, it should have been easy for them to push it further out of the way. "Quickly!" she called from the other side, bounding back to the front of the stone. "Quickly, put all of your weight onto it and...push..."


    The empress joined Hinata and Akira and the rock, while resistant at first, became increasingly easier to push as they continued. Eventually it came to a rest at the bottom of the gentle dip in the rock and Moth stopped, looking back. Satisfaction filled her eyes as she saw the entrance tot eh pupil's den was now clear.

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    Lotus let a smirk glow in her eyes. So they truly didn't need her help. She groomed a brown paw and let a languid yawn escape.


    "If I'm not needed," she started. "Can I just stay here and supervise?" Her tone was dry and sarcastic. Lotus knew that pointing her current situation out would do nothing but get her dragged into helping around camp; she was bored and needed entertainment.


    True to herself, Lotus wanted to appear as though helping wasn't her idea. She would kick and scream, all the while being thankful for the opportunity to get some of her restlessness out. With Koi out of the camp, she always felt a bit more relaxed.