camp still i reach for something higher — battle plans

[GRAVELSNAP]

Since the clan's somewhat-failed raid on SkyClan, Gravelpaw has been waiting for some sort of consequence. Some kind of strike in return from the pine forest clan. SkyClan can't just let that go, can they? But when WindClan's patrols had gone to the other clan, SmyClan had been surprised—what if they attempt to do the same to WindClan? Gravelpaw doesn't know how to put their concern into words, but they need to have a plan. Just in case anything happens, what would WindClan do?

Gravelpaw sits in a secluded part of the camp, in the shadow of the gorse wall, hunched over a few pebbles and twigs strewn across the ground. The twigs are arranged in a circle, with a slew of jagged, white pebbles surrounding it. Inside the circle are a few multicolored pebbles—a few black and white pebbles, some gray ones, and even a reddish colored pebble that's bigger than most of the others.

A snow-white paw pushes around one of the pebbles—a black and white one, aptly called Badger in their head. This pebble is the main defender of the stick circle, standing guard at the camp entrance alongside a smaller dark gray pebble, Star. But… should Star be at the camp entrance, face to face with the enemy pebbles, or should she be in the center of the circle, giving orders while staying safe and healthy to further lead her warriors? They huff out a frustrated breath, ears flattening against their skull. Maybe they need someone else's input.
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[ DEATH OF A DREAM ]​

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[Badgermoon]

The raid on SkyClan had certainly been ... interesting. Badgermoon could not help but blame himself somewhat for the mixed results - his part of the patrol had done what they needed to do by causing a distraction, but he had lost a warrior in the process. More than one, if you counted the subsequent losses of Galeforce and Yewberry - though those were a different type of loss. On the other hand, Spiderbloom had taken one of Blazestar's lives, and he himself had inflicted some substantial wounds onto his forest-dwelling counterpart Orangeblossom. More generally speaking, it had shown him that he was capable of giving orders which were followed, and of leading his Clanmates to and from a battle. Therefore, he was generally happy with how things had went - even if the outcome was far from ideal, he had tried his best. And the sickness was gone now, thank StarClan.

There was still the matter of SkyClan's cruelty and anger, of course, and had he known that Gravelpaw was pondering similar questions, he probably would've discussed it with the younger WindClanner. As it was, though, it seemed that the white-splashed cat was preoccupied with ... pebbles? Curlewnose likes pebbles. Perhaps Gravelpaw does, too? though he had not yet had the privilege of seeing Curlewnose's rock collection, Badgermoon knew it existed, and he supposed there were stranger hobbies. Rocks were interesting, sometimes - and sometimes of spiritual importance, like for burials. Therefore the broad-shouldered tom dropped into a sitting position a few tail-lengths from Gravelpaw and their strategic pieces, offering a little smile. "I like that one." mrowed Badgermoon, gesturing towards a particularly smooth greyish pebble. "Where'd you get all these?" ​

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

STEADY THE RIGHTS AND THE WRONGS
periwinklepaw | 07 months | demi-boy | he/they | physically easy (pacifist) | mentally easy | attack in bold #ccccff

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Periwinklepaw blames skyclan for the messy state he has found his life to be in these days. Everything had gone wrong because of that raid - no, because skyclan could not be bothered to help those in need. A selfish clan of kittypets - didn't twolegs have some sort of strange medicine too? What did a clan with plenty of not-prey and not-herbs need with the real thing? It was all selfishness, nothing more.

The sight of gravelpaw in of itself is enough to catch periwinklepaws attention these days, curiosity and that anxious warmth in his chest always at ware anytime he catches a glance of the other, but it's the gathering of pebbles that have him striding over, but not before making a quick trip into the medicine den and into his nest - his little hoard of treasures and trinkets and mementos. Padding back with a surprising amount of confidence and contentment in his step, he gives a nervous smile and drops his gift, rolling it over with soft paws. Its a simple stone, smooth and flat and grey tinted with shiny copper-toned bits, but since he'd been panning on secreting it away to give to the other boy anyways - he doesn't know what he's using these ones for, but he figures one more won't hurt. "H-here," he offers softly, a smile on his maw, before joining badgermoon in peering at the assortment. "... wh-at are y-y-you doing-g with th-theem?" he wonders softly.

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[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 He, too, has wondered whether the repercussions for their herb theft will be more than idle comments from leaders on their pedestals at the Gathering. Thus far, he's seen nothing. Animosity at a cross-clan meeting seems a small price to pay for the lives of WindClanners, though he knows it will only hinder them in the future. There may come another day when they need what they do not have, and they cannot guarantee the same tactics will succeed again.

He finds Gravelpaw flanked not by troublesome kits but Badgermoon and Periwinklepaw, and for their sake, he hopes the rowdy children keep their distance. Especially given how appealing their collection of pebbles would be for playful paws. "Planning, I would say," Wolfsong tells Periwinklepaw, one-eyed gaze roving across the arrangement. "I did the same in another life, but I used bones in place of stones." He stares at the large, reddish stone and his mouth quirks. "Is that one Sunstride?"
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[GRAVELSNAP]

Their strategizing is broken up by the black and white deputy's appearance—Badgermoon sits not far from them, seeming interested in their raid defense plans. But it seems that he doesn't understand their genius, because he only points out a particular pebble. "Oh, that's Houndthistle," they explain, before the deputy asks where he got them. Gravelpaw fixes the older cat with a flat, unimpressed stare. "The ground." They're rocks. It's not as though they're particularly difficult to come across.

An apprentice who's usually followed by kits approaches next—this time, thankfully, there don't seem to be any annoying children trailing on their heels—and Gravelpaw's gaze settles into a glare until he realizes what Periwinklepaw is carrying. It's a pebble, which the black-pointed feline passes to them. They inspect it carefully, turning it over in their paw. With a genuine smile, bright and toothy, Gravelpaw flicks an ear at their fellow apprentice. "Thank you. It's a nice rock."

Periwinklepaw asks them what they're doing, and the one-eyed warrior who's joined them answers first. They don't yet turn to Wolfsong, instead responding to the apprentice's question with a nod. Wolfsong seems like he enjoys battle strategy, so it isn't too surprising that he admits he once did the same thing with bones. They like Wolfsong. "Yeah, planning. What we'll do if SkyClan attacks." They don't think Periwinklepaw likes fighting that much, so hopefully they'll enjoy the creating of defense plans. A black and white pebble, called Periwinkle, lies with the smaller pebbles in the stick-nursery.

The golden warrior points out a particular pebble, the large reddish one that stands out in the center of the camp, asking whether it's meant to be Sunstride. "No, that's Lynxtooth," they say, as though it's obvious that the larger pebble is meant to represent their father. They gesture to a different, nearly identical reddish pebble. "This one is Sunstride. Do you want it?" Hazel eyes flicker up to meet Wolfsong's gaze, a smile crossing their black-flecked muzzle. Wolfsong and Sunstride are best friends, so it would make sense if the older tom wants the pebble that's meant to look sort of like his friend.
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[ DEATH OF A DREAM ]​

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[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Snakepaw, in a particularly bored mood, finds himself padding over quietly and cocking a brow as he joins the crowd of onlookers around Gravelpaw's "battle planning". Puh. If those kittypets tried invading WindClan's camp, then the moor dwellers would deliver them an ass-kicking for sure! Perhaps WindClan would possess an advantage if a fight took place in their own territory; after all, they knew how to navigate tunnels and the moors while the other clan didn't. There wouldn't be a blustery blizzard getting in the way either... hopefully.

The dark tom hadn't the opportunity to join either of the battle patrols, much to his dismay, so he can't help but feel intrigued at the idea of another potential fight on the horizon. Snakepaw wanted to cut into the flesh of a soft-pawed SkyClanner! He has only utilized unsheathed claws on his own clanmates during training, but he hungered for something real.

Finally deciding to speak up, the apprentice blurted, "So, where am I?" Snakepaw is mostly curious as to where he fits into this plan of Gravelpaw's, though he would be lying if he wasn't curious about what his assigned pebble looked like, if there even was one for him.​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 He nods thoughtfully, mentally assigning one of the pebbles as Houndthistle and smothering a chuckle at Gravelpaw's blunt answer. To gather so many with resemblances to WindClan's warriors must have taken time, indeed. I would be impressed if they were found within a day. It is the making of a sharper mind to assemble such a practice of tactics, though it occurs to Wolfsong that the burden should not be an apprentice's. Such is the state of their world.

The one-eyed warrior can't suppress the laugh when Gravelpaw corrects him with the impatience of someone explaining what is self-evident. "Of course, of course. My mistake." They indicate another stone as Sunstride, and then offer it as a gift to Wolfsong. For a moment, he's sorely tempted, but he shakes his head even as he returns their smile. "You are still strategizing, yes? Keep him. I will say that he should be near the front— he is at his best facing enemies first." A dangerous position, yes, but Sunstride has never been one to lead from the back.

Wolfsong glances at the dark shape of Snakepaw. Another volatile child. I wonder if he enjoys Firepaw's company.
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[cottonsprig]

Unfortunately for those enjoying the moments without nosy kittens around, one happens to catch wind of the battle party and draws in close. Perhaps fortunately, however, Cottonkit isn't as rowdy as her brothers and eldest sister are. Her curiosity often dispels the unwieldy nature of kittenhood, and though she approaches with a skip in her step, she slows down just in time to avoid colliding into anyone present.

The grey kitten observes the seemingly meaningless pile of sticks and stones, attempting at first to make a picture out of the assumed mess. However after listening to the older cats chitter along, she makes sense of it - it's like a map! And each stone is a cat, too. Amazing! Cottonkit's excitement remains contained, her tail swishing behind her as she refuses to ruin Gravelpaw's game. She listens as Wolfsong makes a suggestion, crouching down to observe the stones a little closer. Of course, she's trying to find her family in the mix, however she's also trying to find the rest of them present, too. Like Snakepaw. She looks expectantly at Gravelpaw, her grin sharp as she waits for them to speak.​

 

[GRAVELSNAP]

The pitch black apprentice who comes to bother them next asks where he is in their battle plans, and Gravelpaw huffs out a sigh. They haven't assigned a Snake pebble, didn't plan to do so, but a reply pops into their mind and they flick their black ear in annoyance, as though batting away a Snakepaw-sized gnat. "Oh, you?" They ask, tipping their head mockingly. A paw waves toward the area where the smallest of the pebbles are. "You're in the nursery. With the other kits." Venom drips from their mouth along with the words, biting and cruel.

Their expression shifts back to a flat stare as they turn it upon Wolfsong once more. He suggests that they should keep the Sunstride pebble—because of course their strategizing is more important. The golden-furred tom says that the lead warrior should be facing enemies first, and Gravelpaw accepts the correction with grace. "You're right." They punctuate their words with a nod. The reddish tabby is big and strong, and is also a lead warrior. He should be leading his clan. It just makes sense. "Sunstride should be on the front lines. It makes sense."

A white paw reaches out to correct the pebble's placement before they turn sharp eyes upon Cottonkit. She isn't quite as meddlesome or as generally horrible as her brother, so they don't mind her presence so much. As long as she stays a tail-length away from them, at least. "You're also in the nursery, Cottonkit. Because you're small," they explain, brows furrowed.
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[ DEATH OF A DREAM ]​

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[Periwinklebreeze.]

STEADY THE RIGHTS AND THE WRONGS
periwinklepaw | 07 months | demi-boy | he/they | physically easy (pacifist) | mentally easy | attack in bold #ccccff

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His gift accepted, the boy practically preens. Its nice he thinks, to have amicable interactions with his clanmates - to be able to spend time without worry of ridicule. He listens with rapt attentions a his fellow apprentice explains, the corner of his mouth even twitching as he calls snakepaw a kit. He might not be the meanest of cats, but he certainly seems like one of the many who look down upon him for his choices - and perhaps, he thinks, thoughts turning to firepaw and wisteriapaw, one of the ones who looks down upon him for what starclan chose for him.

He looks over the pebbles, though he finds himself unable to guess who most of them might be... "may-be.... B-b-badg-ermoon should remain back, t-t-to protect, b-but s-soot-star should l-l-lead the fight," he tries to offer quietly, though his words are tainted with nerves and uncertainty. He knows little of fighting, but he knows his clanmates and the feelings they invoke. Their deputy has a strong calming presence despite his ferocity - an unwavering buffer between them and the rest of the world he thinks, where as sootstar ahs always been tiny but mighty - fighting with the tenacity of many warriors all tightly knit into one blue-tinted frame. She is a terrifying sight to behold he thinks, shivering at that tangled mess of fear-trust-awe that always accompanies such thoughts. A mighty queen indeed.

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[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — The dark tom really should have known better than to ask Gravelpaw whether or not he was included in their plans. The two had never been on great terms, their dynamic mostly akin to a pestering little sibling and the older sibling who could never get them to shut up and leave them alone. However, Snakepaw surely does not expect him to be lumped in with the kits in the nursery, weak and unable to defend themselves from harm. "Hey, I'm not a kit!" He snaps, irritation glinting in green hues.

Quickly looking to dump his frustrations onto another and turn the attention away from him, Snakepaw glanced in Cottonkit's direction and snorted, "She's a kit!" She was quite literally a kit! Snakepaw could be useful in some capacity, unlike the Sootstar brood who hadn't an ounce of official training.

He still feels hot vexation boiling within him, so Snakepaw retorts in a childish manner, "Oh yeah? Well if I'm a kit, then you're not even out of the belly yet, dungbreath." It was obvious that the black tom was just a sore loser who couldn't take an insult, even the mildest of such.

Periwinklepaw's stammering only frustrates Snakepaw even more, to the point where he's unsure if he can even stick around any longer. So, the apprentice huffed and spun around, strutting away but not before shouldering past the older tom and hissing, "Oh, do shut up."

// out! jsdfkdksd​

 

[icebreath]

TAGS — Icepaw is no different from her clanmates; the SkyClan raid has lingered in her mind since taking place, albeit to a much more stressful degree than the others, probably. Fears of retaliation haunt her daily, and she feels even less secure than usual out on the open moors and away from the cover of the tunnels. Frankly, she's convinced that their enemy will strike back sooner or later — but probably sooner. Newleaf is on its way, which means well-fed warriors who're so much bigger and sturdier than so many of WindClan's. But they're still kittypets at the end of the day, she always tries to remind herself. Weak, slow, stupid. Smart enough to call for reinforcements, however, and she imagines they'll probably do it again when the battle comes. What if they bring RiverClan and ThunderClan this time? She'd heard that SkyClan established an alliance with the former, and that Emberstar sided with those sorry excuses for wild cats, during the last gathering. Everything is falling into place for WindClan to be torn to shreds. And she won't even be of any use when it happens, small and weak as she is! What good is stealth in a situation like this? Especially once the snow melts for good and her pelt goes back to sticking out like a sore thumb. Her only coping mechanism is reminding herself that StarClan's prophecy had promised harmony come newleaf. But does that mean the ambush will happen sooner? What if it happens any day?!

She's almost relieved when she realizes many of her clanmates are thinking similarly; tentative intrigue illuminates her expression as she approaches the throng, drawn over by the parts of the discussion she'd overheard from nearby, and peers down at the assortment of stones. Snakepaw's outraged protest quickly pulls her attention away from the layout, and they look up to see him glaring at Gravelpaw, who bears a cold look of their own. What had they missed on their way over? Her eyes widen and brow furrows when he hisses out some insults and storms off, acting brattier than the kits he likes to assign that label to. They stare after him for a few seconds with a flinty expression before turning back to Gravelpaw. "This is impressive." She doesn't ask if any stone is assigned to her because she can't imagine there is one. Shame washes over her as she thinks back to the way she'd pitifully, embarrassingly frozen up amid Dandelionwish's escape. The only situation she can see herself being useful in is fleeing through the tunnels to fetch ShadowClan for backup, but there's no way to visually represent that here, is there?
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