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WASPFLAME

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Winter lingered on the breath of the wind, the chilly breeze warning of much colder weather on the horizon. The sun was abandoning its post in the sky, sinking beneath the treeline and casting the sky aglow in shades of oranges and pinks. A molly perched on one of the wooden fences that bordered the forest, staring into the colorful trees and dying foliage, withering away with the summer's end. She had never, not once, considered leaving the city. She'd been born here, and knew the streets and the cats who walked them like the back of her paw. It was by no means a safe place to live, she learned that from an early age, but it was home. At least, it had been until earlier today. She could still hear the caterwauling of her brother as those wretched upwalkers shoved him in a too-small cage and threw him in the back of their stinky truck. She had no idea where he was going but it couldn't be any place pleasant. She'd heard rumors - cats being shoved in cages, put on display for other upwalkers, listening to dogs bark and howl for days and days on end. A shelter, it was called, though it sounded like hell. If that was where the upwalkers had taken Hornet, then she would never see him again.

Her brother was all she had left. Their parents were gone. He was her only friend in the world. Without him, the city no longer felt like home. And it certainly wasn't safe. The molly had two options - she could either stay here, brave it out and try to survive dodging upwalkers, angry dogs, and hostile cats fighting over scraps. Or she could move on. The forest presented plenty of resources but also new dangers. She had heard tales of wild cats laying claim to the forest from the upwalker pets eager for an adventure beyond their gardens. She was good at evading, perhaps she could sneak on by, find a land beyond their reach to call her own. Her mouth salivated at the idea of fresh mice for supper every night and a comfy den nestled somewhere in the trees. But there was so much uncertainty involved. What would Hornet want me to do? Her plumed tail lashed behind her in thoughts, her claws shredding the picket fence that served as her perch. Her brother would not want her to remain here and suffer the same fate as him. There was a slim chance she would ever see him again. She knew if their positions were reversed, he would move on. He would want her to do the same. Family meant everything to them both, but realistically, she knew the chances of being united were close to zero. She had to move on, for him. When she did, she would eat all the mice in the world. For him. He would want that.

A deep sigh swelled in her chest as she hopped from the fence onto the soft forest floor. She sank her claws into the soft dirt and padded forward. The smell of many cats hit her nose not far into her journey and her pelt prickled with alarm. She was an easy target all alone and though she could save herself in a scrap, she knew she was likely vastly outnumbered based on smell alone. There was some kind of border here, a signal not to cross. But she had to cross if she was to find land these cats did not already claim as their own. So she stepped over the border and made her way through the trees.

out of character information
  • TLDR; wasp decides to enter the forest to find a new home after her brother was taken to an animal shelter. she trespasses on skyclan territory with the intent of just passing through - your characters are free to act accordingly.
  • ✧ WASPFLAME —— she/her, 12 moons, skyclan warrior.
    —— a pretty, sleek red and white she-cat with blue eyes.
    —— link to bio, toyhouse.
​
 
╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

He's at the borders more often now that his children are coming to his camp. Blazestar has not forgotten his encounter with Vermilionsun and his companions, has not forgotten the desperation gleaming in amber eyes and the stark expression of ribcage against fleabitten pelt. SkyClan's pines are still full of prey, as the leaf-fall chill has only just begun to truly settle into the air and on the needles of their trees. He does not think the former SkyClanner himself would harm anyone or infiltrate the camp, but he'd brought those strangers, those hungry, desperate strangers, to their territory. Blazestar marks each pine with earnest, a frown chiseled into his broad fluffy face.

He's not surprised when an unfamiliar cat scent caresses his glands. Twolegplace, but not a kittypet scent, not of kibble and flowers and Twoleg things. It's roguish, of the streets, monster fumes embedded in her red-flecked fur.

Blazestar can see she is stepping with caution. She smells SkyClan's border. But she does not turn back.

"Hello." It's neutral, devoid of the overfriendly sanguinity his tone had held for countless other strays. But his expression, too, is devoid of hostility. He only pads closer to the outsider, blue eyes flicking over her from ears to tail tip. "This is SkyClan's territory. Can we help you with something?" He is not prepared to drive her out, does not know if he could if provoked -- he hopes it does not come to that.

- ,,​
​
 
A voice makes her pause, one mottled paw poised to take yet another step on the pine needles that covered the ground. Her head swivels until her blue eyes latch on with some ferocity to a cat. One of the wild cats she had heard about? His size and the power in his limbs confirms her theory. Despite her wariness of the tom's size, Wasp straightens herself up to appear bigger. Her height does her favors, but her sleek frame and slender limbs certainly do not. This cat could best her in a fight pretty easily, though it did not appear as though a fight was what he wanted. At least not right now. If she could play her cards right, she might be able to go on her way without even unsheathing a claw.

"Just passin' through, won't even touch a leaf on the ground," she told the tom. In other words: no need to get your tail in a knot over me. She had no intention of lingering here long or doing something to provoke the wrath of those who called this their home. Though manners were not her strong suit, her mother had taught her to be civilized instead of a beast from the streets, so she thought it best to introduce herself. "Name's Wasp. I come from the city... back 'attaway. Can't live there no more so... tryin' to find someplace else to call home." It was as much information as she was ready to give up, the fate of her brother still too fresh in her mind to even begin to articulate - can't be crying in front of this big, burly SkyClan cat, now could she?

out of character information
  •  
  • ✧ WASPFLAME —— she/her, 12 moons, skyclan warrior.
    —— a pretty, sleek red and white she-cat with blue eyes.
    —— link to bio, toyhouse.
​
 
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Thistleback’s ear was mostly healed, and the claw marks raked over his chest when he pinned down that traitor was healing fresh. Cobweb bandages wrapped along the white strip of his chest plate, he angers his wounds mildly as he scrabbles up a tree- scouting the route ahead while Blazestar leads himself further. The leader wasn’t the only one with the former Skyclanner on his mind. Thistleback itched in a way fleas couldn’t dig at his pelt, sure- Skyclan was friendly to outsiders but they wouldn’t take that shit, certainly not in leaf-bare.

Perched on the limb finally, he’s positioned like a frog as he spots the strange coated feline as she speaks to Blazestar. Alarm bells ring, and he’s sailing the branches pine to pine until he’s looking down at their ear tips.

Her fur was like autumn leaves in the snows of winter, a pattern that Starclan would only sew once perhaps. Like his beloved Deersong’s rare mochas and white. Her face is young, perhaps barely the age of a young warrior despite her height. She was no threat, and her words only tell of a wayward stranger.

" not a single leaf? you’ll be in your elder moons when you get to the other side of the forest " he speaks up with a jest, paws thrumming the bark of the pine as he slithers from the tangle of limbs. Thudding the ground and lashing his tail from the stinging it sent to his chest wounds. " I’m Thistleback- I’m from the city myself, but I live and work as a Daylight warrior here in Skyclan " he introduces himself.

" This- … is our leader, Blazestar " he tips his skull-white muzzle toward the ragdoll. Silver optics flicking back to the stray, a sort of faint respect born from the possible common ground they share- growing up as a street cat. Unless she was a kittypet, in which, that common ground crumbles at the paw. Regardless, Thistleback is a friendly entity, despite it all.

​

OOC INFO REF
  • — ooooh I love her design :''0

  • — Thistleback | thirty moons | cis-male
    — daylight warrior of Skyclan
    — bisexual | fallen for Deersong 9.29.22
    — very muscular piebald black and white tom with spiky fur and cold silver-grey eyes. Wears a purple collar with brass clasp.
  • bVBPWus.png

​
 


He cannot help but let out a huff of laughter at Thistleback's joke. It was true that the leaves that now coated the forest floor would be difficult to avoid, one would have the scale the trees in true Sky Clanner fashion to accomplish such a feat. Thistleback is up there now, and it almost brings another smile to his jaws, his father would be glad to know that the tradition he had started had been kept alive, that it was flourishing even.

He comes to stand next to the two other toms, his tail tip flicking back and forth behind him as he watches the she-cat with bright pale blue eyes, in an unusually good mood for once. She looked to be about the same age as him, albeit a little younger, and her spotted white pelt reminded him of a certain she-cat, a friend who he held dear to his heart. It warmed her to him a bit. "And I'm Redstorm, fulltime warrior" he says with a slight wink in the strangers direction.
​
 

wait around, i'll smile again​
Watson often times feels like a fat old man slinking around the warriors and their arisen leader, even though he's shed quite a lot of pounds since leaving his upwalker's apartment. He's from the opposite side of the window for Wasp but he can certainly relate to wanting to avoid the twoleg's wrath. His sensibilities too kittypet for the wild, his nerves too shaky for a shelter. Seeing Thistleback in bandages again, he doubts he could ever withstand something like that. Too soft, but this lady seems like a hardened street feline. She's got a pelt speckled with flames and her eyes echo the sentiment. But, should he mention her the freaky things that happen here? Should he warn her that she's talking to a revenant or that magic from angry upwalkers flays cat's ear flaps? Watson comes to stand beside Redstorm, releasing a breath that he didn't realize he was holding in his swirling thoughts.

As... strange as things can be, as scary as owls screetching and dogs howling in the night can be, as weird as things can get; he doesn't exactly dislike it here."Watson. I don't know if it's my place to say but this is a good a home as any, in my opinion. If they'll let someone like me in, you'd certainly be a boon." That last part ends with a chuckle and sounds like a joke but it's more honest than he's been in a while. "I'm from the same city, if I'm scenting correctly. Fled the catcher, with a friend."​
 
One by one, more cats slip from the trees onto the scene. Another tom perches above her on the limb of a tree, seeming good-natured enough. She is not typically a fan of humor, sees no place for it, but she has to admit that his tone is reassuring. She won't let her guard down completely, but she does allow her limbs to relax, her shoulders to release the tension they held. She is still untrusting, on alert, but the physical signs of it all but diminish as she is greeted without an ounce of hostility. She has never experienced something like this. Back on the streets, she'd have been fighting tooth and claw already. Cats tended to use their teeth before their tongues in the city. The tom introduces himself as Thistleback - what an odd name - and the first tom as Blazestar, the leader. Another tom joins them, this one's pelt mimicking the first's. Redstorm, a fulltime warrior, not a daylight warrior. She has no idea what these terms mean.

Finally, a third joins the fray. Watson, a name akin to the ones she's heard housecats don. If he is from the city, perhaps he was one of them once. It wouldn't be the first time she's heard rumors of housecats fleeing their comfortable homes in search of adventure in the forest. She can't blame them, that soft life does seem awfully dull. Though if she had food handed to her on a silver platter and a warm, dry bed to lie in every night... she probably wouldn't complain. The only downside to that was the upwalkers. She'd always had a distaste for them, especially after today.

"Well, ya ain't clawed my ears off yet so it's good to meet ya," Wasp mewed to the four of them. I hope, she added quietly, her guard still up despite their upfront friendliness. One could never be too sure. To her surprise, the last one to join the party suggests joining SkyClan. Wasp was familiar with the different stray groups within the city. Some cats preferred to band together to survive in groups. Was joining worthwhile or more trouble than it was worth? There was strength in numbers but one also had to watch their back more closely. At least that's how it went on the streets. She scoffs sadly at the last bit Watson has to offer up. The irony in that. She'd planned on keeping that tidbit hidden away until it was less fresh in her mind, but now she finds herself spilling. "Mmm... the catcher. Nasty bastard. Took my brother just this mornin', that's why I'm leavin'. Won't ever see him again so there ain't no sense in stayin'. Too dangerous out there alone." It's all she cares to divulge. Any more talk and she might just start crying.

Would they really let her stay? She's not sure if she wants to call this place home but... well, maybe they'd let her try it out? "What is this... SkyClan you're all yappin' about? With daylight and fulltime warriors, 'n weird names... all that shit."

out of character information
  •  
  • ✧ WASPFLAME —— she/her, 12 moons, skyclan warrior.
    —— a pretty, sleek red and white she-cat with blue eyes.
    —— link to bio, toyhouse. penned by @Regina
​
 
╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

The newcomer who identifies herself as Wasp is polite, although Blazestar can see she has her guard up. She promises not to touch even a leaf on the earth, says she's only passing through. The Ragdoll's shoulders lose some of their tension, especially as SkyClan warriors come to join him.

Thistleback introduces himself and then Blazestar, and Redstorm and Watson appear from the treeline. The latter tells Wasp SkyClan is as good a home as any. Blazestar looks at him with faint warmth gleaming in blue eyes. He's glad to hear the other reluctantly settling in. He'd come back with them from the Twolegplace, had seen the patrol at their weakest, and had extended a paw to assist rather than turning them away -- even if his instincts had told him differently.

Wasp's ears prick at Watson's mention of the catcher. Blazestar had had to have the term explained to him -- a Twoleg who captures cats living in the Twolegplace without homes and takes them somewhere where they seldom seen again. He gazes at Wasp with fresh sympathy soft in his features. "I'm sorry to hear about your brother," he mews.

SkyClan. He exhales softly, gearing up for his speech. "SkyClan is one of five Clans in the forest. We all live together and work together to keep each other fed and safe." He flicks the plumy end of his tail. "Fulltime warriors, like Redstorm and Watson, live within the Clan, well, full-time." He smiles. "Daylight warriors, like Thistleback, go home at night to their housefolk. Either way, all of us hunt and fight for SkyClan. The names... the names come with the territory," he purrs, amused. He supposes 'Blazestar' isn't exactly a name a house cat or even a street cat hears very often. "If you were looking to join SkyClan, you'd be expected to pledge loyalty to your territory and your Clanmates. You are likely used to fending for yourself. That would no longer be the case. SkyClan cares for each other. You would hunt for the tiniest kit, the oldest Clan cats. You would patrol our borders for rogues stealing prey from our mouths, for enemy Clan warriors trespassing. You would be part of something. Whether that's worth it to you..." He shrugs.

- ,,​
​
 
The leader speaks up again, offering his sympathies, and then readies himself for a long-winded explanation to answer her question. Wasp situates herself, rear on the ground, to listen. Her ears flick at the mention of more Clans like SkyClan. She wonders if they are all this friendly to outsiders or since SkyClan is situated in a place where curious housecats come sniffing about, they are one of the only ones who are so open to the idea of newcomers. That tidbit of information alone is almost enough to convince her to stay. If she had to fight through four other territories to find the smallest bit of unoccupied land then she might as well settle here where she knows she will be welcomed, looked after, safe.

He proceeds to tell her about warriors and their duties, how some stay in the Clan all day long and how others return to their upwalkers at night. An interesting concept but an inclusive one. She can respect that. She is quiet for a moment as she considers the offer, ears twitching from time to time as it is clear her brain is working at the pros and cons to joining the Clan. If it's as great as Blazestar claims it to be, then can there really be anything wrong? She would be much safer in numbers. Cats to protect her, cats to protect. It seems a worthwhile cause and it would give her something to do to keep from dwelling on losing her brother. "Okay. That seems fair. I'm used to huntin' and protectin' my brother as it is... not that he's a helpless kit or a grumpy ole flea-bag but we looked out for each other," she hums after a moment. "I pledge my loyalty to SkyClan."

And because she is curious, she cannot help but ask, "What kinda strange but weirdly cool name do I get?"

out of character information
  •  
  • ✧ WASPFLAME —— she/her, 12 moons, skyclan warrior.
    —— a pretty, sleek red and white she-cat with blue eyes.
    —— link to bio, toyhouse. penned by regina.
​
 
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