A KING WITH NO CROWN — open

[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — The sun radiates above the vast blue sky, beaming down upon the hills and the open grasses. Perched below and atop Outlook Rock are several WindClanners, as a small group had departed camp a short while ago in order to take a stroll through the territory as well as get some fresh air.

Snakepaw stood atop the surface of the giant slab of earth, tail lifted and chest puffed proudly as he surveyed the moors below with a sweep of his emerald gaze. He is only an apprentice now, no one particularly special within the ranks of WindClan, but one day that would change. Vivid daydreams and hopes fill his sight; visions of him standing on the Tallrock and addressing the clan as a leader. He sees himself leading an army of brutes to weaker clans, conquering their territories and striking fear into WindClan's enemies.

He is absorbed into his own world now, voices and sights around him all but a blur as he envisions himself threatening a pathetic-looking Blazestar and his kittypet "warriors", "I am Snakestar, leader of WindClan. Cower before me or my warriors will slaughter you like rabbits." As snotty and arrogant as the apprentice was, he undoubtedly had aspirations of his own and a motivation to achieve his desires. Perhaps they were dreams only a kit would possess, perhaps he'd grow out of them as soon as reality settled in, but for now he truly wants to be Snakestar.

The black tom arches his back and springs forward across the smooth surface with a reptilian-esque hisssss, truly channeling all of the ferocity he could muster for the sake of his own game of pretend. Snakepaw then drew back, straightening up and looking over the moors once again. These lands had housed his family for generations, and he'd forever defend them with his life — and maybe, someday, they would truly belong to him.​

 

[Bluepool]

If Snakepaw truly believed the moors belonged to him, he had another thing coming. Surely Sootstar would not stand for such blasphemy? She narrows her eyes at the young apprentice for a moment before it finally clicks. It was a game. Surely Snakepaw had better things to do than play around like a kit? She opens her mouth to tell him off, to tell him he should get back to work. There was a whole list of tasks that always needed to be done, after all. After a moment of thinking though she decides that maybe she could have a little fun herself.

"Oh yeah?" she says, dropping into a playful hunters crouch, her tone as menacing as she can get it to sound without breaking out into giggles "Well my name is Bluepool of the kittypet clan and I wont stand for it come here and face me or you'll have to answer to my twolegs!" she says in what is her best impression of those pathetic little house-pets over in the other clans.

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[GRAVELSNAP]

Such childish, foolish games aren’t amusing to Gravelpaw on most days, their mood usually too dim to allow for such silly activities. Some days, though, they manage to find humor in the ridiculous antics of the other apprentices. Snakepaw announcing himself leader is certainly an interesting turn of events, and it takes a moment for the monochrome apprentice to realize that this is a joke and not a genuine attempt at usurping Sootstar. Good. The clan doesn’t need another Emberfang, or another Dandelionwish.

It seems that the inky apprentice is pretending, though. Playing around, goofing off and making a game of make-believe clan conflict. Bluepool joins in as well, pretending to be a SkyClanner defending her clan. "This is foolish," Gravelpaw mutters, tail lashing with mild irritation. But there is no reason not to join in, they think, if Bluepool is willing to stoop so low as to play along. "What shall I do, Snakestar?" They question the “leader”, hazel eyes narrowed toward the tabby-striped warrior.
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[ DEATH OF A DREAM ]​

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[MALLOWLARK]

Like Gravelpaw, for a moment Mallowlark thought he might be in the presence of yet another insurrection; Snakepaw was so well-committed to his game that he did a good impression of a moor-ruler. He was not to know the threat of the madness, should this be the path he embarked upon... but upon Bluepool joining in, he was soon to realise this was little more than an insurrection. She did a dreadfully poor impression of a Skyclanner, as far as he knew- her antics yanked forth a screeching cackle, a laugh that came all at once with every iota of breath. Laughing for him would always be like tumbling down a pitfall...

Resisting the hysteria, though it thrummed in ripples through his body, Mallowlark got to swaying paws of night-veil and stood at Bluepool's side to even out the game. "Khh- Kittypet," the word crackled in his throat. It felt blasphemous to say it, but he still did, yearning for distraction. "S'what I am, bet'cha-HAH- c-can't take me, too! Once I screammm, m-my... twoleg'll com r-running," It felt odd to imagine himself among the pine cats, and odder that this had not been the first time. ​

☺PENNED BY PIN​

 

[AMBERTAIL]

Ambertail was not among the resting bunch. Getting up on the rock alone would have been a challenge for the tunneler, and it would come too with many other risks— namely falling over, or falling to panic over how exposed they were. Without the shield of dirt above his head, the sun and sky felt foreboding. Perhaps it was simply a remnant of his life during the trouble with hawks, or how he spent his time hunting in the crevasses before WindClan came to be. Whatever the reasoning, it affects him deeply. He'd no intention of resting here, or joining this game. In fact, Ambertail did not know it was happening at all, until his head pops from one of the nearby tunnel's openings to hear...Mallowlark? It would seem that he was off on one of his typical rants except he catches the final words: my twoleg'll come running. His twoleg?

Had the tunneler somehow come upon the strangest of confessions? Was this a delusion? A game? He smells only WindClan. The moors, heather, sun-warmed stone. Clanmates, individual scents entangling to one whiff of familiarity. No twolegs. "What?" He means to whisper it, really he does, but instead the question ends up as more of a shout, and less than a question to boot. It echoes and rolls flat across the moors.

˗ˏˋ〚  OOC NOTES INFORMATION 〛´ˎ˗

• ooc: pls i apologize for the interruption of a clueless amber
• ──── ambertail. tunneler of windclan. nb, he or they.
  ──── adult, though precise age unlabeled as of now.
  ──── sexuality unknown. a strange windclan cryptid.
  
  ──── a tiny, yet proportionally long-limbed tortoiseshell with unfocused amber eyes. though they retain their color, ambertail is blind. those who don't know as much may be confused, and will certainly be met with dry responses from the tunneler himself.
• "speech"

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[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Snakepaw hadn't expected anyone else to catch onto his little game, mostly because he had been so sucked into his own world but he had also just assumed that the other party members were chatting away or keeping to themselves. Hardly anyone ever bothered to interact with Snakepaw, at least willingly. He keeps others at arm's length and he knows it; admittedly, at times, it can get a bit lonely. It's hard to find other cats his age who were like-minded and tolerable.

He had been expecting some sort of scolding at first, perhaps a "you're too old to play like that", but that was not the case. Bluepool, a warrior he does not know particularly well aside from the fact that she was Sootstar's kin, even decides to jump into the action. She poses as a kittypet, to which Snakepaw snorts, "How about you fight me like a real warrior!" He arched his back to appear large and frightening, despite being the youngest present.

One cat he does not expect to join in is Gravelpaw, a fellow apprentice who he does not particularly care for. Ah well, Snakepaw was feeling far too giddy at the moment to throw a wrench into things. This was a game of pretend, after all! Snakepaw could pretend to like Gravelpaw. "Go forth, my warrior! Defend your leader with your life!" The "leader" commands the black and white cat, holding his head high. "You may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make." He gives a wry smirk. He mostly says this to annoy Gravelpaw, knowing full well that leaders are expected to be on the front-lines with their clan, but figuring that losing Gravelpaw in battle wouldn't be so bad. Another tick off his hind!

Mallowlark sides with Bluepool, doubling the kittypet count and evenly matching the fight. "Another one! " "Snakestar" exclaims, giving a lash of his tail and baring his teeth ever so fiercely. Two warriors versus two apprentices... if they actually sparred here and now, would they both get the day off if they won? If only there were another participant to turn the tide...

Speaking of turning the tide, Ambertail is nearby, a perfectly ample body for his army despite lacking in sight ( and being a tiny tunneler, at that ). Any numbers were better than none, Snakepaw supposed. "You there, are you going to join or not?" He inquires. The tunneler seemed confused by what was happening, though it all seemed pretty straightforward in his eyes. Did Ambertail not know what playing was? "You'd best be one of my warriors unless you want to taste defeat." The black tom would attempt to persuade the tunneler to join his ranks.​

 

[GRAVELSNAP]

Gravelpaw expects to be told some kind of plan, offered some explanation of what to do, but instead Snakepaw-star simply demands that they defend him with their life. It’s enough to shock them out of their friendly demeanor for a moment, a stunned expression overtaking their expression before it shutters into blankness. "Ah, so you’re a coward." Their words are harsh, not a hint of playfulness in them. What sort of a leader treats their warriors as nothing more than sacrifices, nameless bodies fallen victim to the inevitability of battle?

"You are lucky that I am more honorable a warrior than you, Snakestar," they snap, teeth bared at the younger tom. For a moment it isn’t a game, the hair along their shoulders raising as they make a show of their displeasure—then they back off, licking irritably at their mouth. They have larger problems than a useless, pretend leader. Mallowlark has joined in on the side of Bluepool, the pretend-SkyClanners now both threatening to call for the help of their twolegs.

It takes effort to shed their stiffness, their reluctance to engage in such kit-play. But now that they’re faced with WindClan warriors, good warriors, who are also pretending to be cats that they’re not, they feel a bit better about it. If they don’t focus on it, this is just an intricate sparring session. Ambertail seems confused by it, but Snakepaw is quick to call the tunneler to their side. "Your twolegs should fear us," they say, stepping forth to face the black-footed “kittypet”. Their claws are carefully sheathed when they swipe out with a paw at Mallowlark’s ear. It isn’t meant to hurt but to draw a counterattack from the older feline.

If Snakestar wants a sacrifice, he’ll surely get one.
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[ DEATH OF A DREAM ]​

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