camp black nail polish — gossiping

[GRAVELSNAP]

It’s been a few days since, and still Gravelpaw can’t shake the words they’d overheard from their head. It stays at the forefront of their thoughts, hovering like some dark cloud upon their mind. The leader and the healer had surely planned for it to be secretive, or at least somewhat contained, information given when they were prepared—but still, they can’t shake the feeling that they need to say something. They aren’t made for keeping secrets. They spend the entire night lying awake, staring up at the stars and trying to calm their breathing.

It finally comes out early in the afternoon, just after they’ve returned from hunting with their much-taller mentor. They find themself surrounded by a few clanmates all locked in idle conversation, and the ash-patched apprentice just has to say something. "Vulturemask told Sootstar he got a prophecy. From StarClan," they finally blurt out, turning to glance at whatever cats have ended up sitting beside them. With the admission, the weight on their chest eases a bit—they can breathe normally again, it seems.

Wide hazel eyes stare helplessly down at their paws, their mind already racing along with their heart. "I heard them talking about it. Why haven’t they told annyone about it?" Whatever sense of serenity they find in voicing the information evaporates as they consider what it means that the prophecy hasn’t been announced to the clan in its entirety yet. They trust Sootstar with their life, but Vulturemask is new to his position, and was trained in healing by Dandelionwish. What if the prophecy is bad, and now the clan is unprepared for whatever consequences that it might bring about? They’d heard the word confession strewn in the words somewhere; what could that possibly mean?
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[ DEATH OF A DREAM ]​

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[SMOKESTEP]

TAGS — Smokepaw hadn't been there to eavesdrop when Vulturemask had given his prophecy; he thinks he must have been too busy with his tunneling duties, the only good excuse to miss something as big as a new prophecy, but in hindsight he isn't really sure. He's heard murmurings of it here and there, but nothing as explicit as Gravelpaw's outburst right next to him. The apprentice had been snacking on a vole in camp when the ash-patched feline had returned from their hunting trip. He really hadn't thought anything of the other's demeanor until the blurted words- Gravelpaw tended to be tense, he thinks -but his ears prick when the words tumble out.

"Do you, um, know what it said?" he finds himself asking, interest suddenly piqued- and then he immediately feels guilty for prying. He shouldn't be trying to get this gossip, should he? If Sootstar had wanted this prophecy to remain private, then he should just respect that. She knew what was best for WindClan, after all. But he fixes Gravelpaw with a gaze like a scalpel, daring the other apprentice to reveal more of their knowledge. He doesn't seem to realize it. "I mean, um...." He glances back at his vole, tail flicking as he tries to work through the question presented. Why wouldn't they tell everyone the prophecy? Is it bad? Would there be more bloodshed, like the bloodshed Dandelionwish and his cronies had invariably caused? The apprentice grimaces slightly at the thought. "Well, it's probably for the best, and all. That it's a little secretive," he tries, but it's really a cop-out answer while his mind spins with possibility.​

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[icebreath]

TAGS — This prophecy is news to Icepaw; she sharply turns her head to look at the bicolor from her position beside Smokepaw, surprise widening her light blue eyes. Quickly their owlish gaze darts this way and that, tinged with concern. Clearly this is a sensitive topic, one that the higher ups probably wouldn't want a bunch of apprentices chattering about before they're ready to make any official announcements, though that's not the only thing nagging at her. Privately, she shares similar concerns with Gravelpaw; Vulturemask's training is limited and probably rushed, given the time constraint and Dandelionwish's treachery. For all they know, his teachings had been intentionally faulty to set his successor — and thus the whole clan — up for failure. But Sootstar is wise in her own right and has her deputy and lead warriors for interpretive assistance; Icepaw's confident that they'll be able to figure it out if they put their heads together, which they're probably working on right now. They wouldn't keep it from us if it's bad, right? she frets, and then pushes the thought aside. No use in getting worked up over an unknown. Not that that's ever stopped her. Her heart's already starting to pound as anxiety begins to blossom within her. "They probably wanna figure out exactly what it means before telling everyone," she reasons, though her unease is made clear by her tentative tone and the frown creasing her features. They want to leave it at that and do so for the time being, but she's itching to ask if Vulturemask and Sootstar seemed worried during their discussion. It takes a lot of self control to refrain.
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[rainpaw]

Like Smokepaw, Rainpaw hadn't been around for when Vulturemask had whispered his prophecy to Sootstar. She had been missing out on vital events lately, it seemed, although she wasn't really upset about that- they were rarely pleasant. She was living in a blissfully unaware bubble, until Gravelpaw popped it with his outburst. She had been padding over to say hi to Smokepaw and Icepaw, nothing more, but her gaze shifted to Gravelpaw as soon as they piped up. Rainpaw's whiskers twitched in curiosity, at the same time as her ears flicked back. The last time anyone from WindClan had received a prophecy, they had ended up with an exiled medicine cat. Although Smokepaw backed off the idea of knowing what Vulturemask and Sootstar said, Rainpaw did the opposite. "What'd you hear, exactly? Are you sure it was a prophecy?" Until Gravelpaw said something decidedly prophetic, Rainpaw was praying that they had just misheard and WindClan would enter an era of peace, no StarClan visions and new exiles applicable. But Gravelpaw did seem shaken up. They had probably mulled over what they heard a hundred times- Rainpaw knew that she would have if she thought she overheard a prophecy. Why would they confess about hearing it if they weren't sure?

She didn't take back her questions, but fell silent for a beat and further considered what Gravelpaw had said. Icepaw offered one explanation, and it sounded reasonable, but Rainpaw wasn't above thinking of the worst case scenario. Unknowingly giving voice to her fellow apprentices' thoughts, she said, "Maybe it's bad news. Maybe they're trying to figure out how to stop the bad stuff from happening before telling the clan, so nobody worries." That was what Sootstar had previously done, after all. She had a vision of a potentially bad future with Dandelionwish staying in the clan, came up with a way to fix the apparent problem, and only then did she tell the clan about what she had seen. After a moment, Rainpaw wondered whether they would keep bad news from the clan indeed so that no one would worry, or so that no one could easily disagree with whatever interpretation they decided on.​

 

[SILVERTHORN]

ALL NIGHT GAMER​

---

Silverpaw took notice of how a few of the apprentices had gathered together to chatter about something. Curiosity spurred him to edge closer so he could overhear the conversation, though the more he listened the more baffled he grew. Something about a prophecy, whatever that was, and... StarClan? Silverpaw wrinkled his nose with a sense of frustration before he dared to stray closer to the other felines, making an attempt to sit with them. "What are you talking about? It sounds confusing."
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[Firefang]

She'd been as privy to the prophecy as everyone else who'd been in the camp when Vulturemask came to relay it to Sootstar before the two disappeared into the shadow of tall-rock. It confused her, it had been even more vague then the omen Sootstar has dreamed of that'd led to... well everything that'd gone wrong in recent moons. It hadn't sounded so dire however, it didn't spell death nor the exile of more clanmates instead she can recall the prophecy told of a time of harmony that'd be brought fourth. She isn't sure how to feel about such an idea, it was too good to be true there was no such thing as proper peace all she could hope for was no more traitors baring their fangs, and with so many of them gone there was the possibility no one else would follow their path well long as they continued to nip that shit in the bud before it blossomed. She'd be bored without the occasional conflict but she preferred tearing her claws into Skyclan flesh rather then that of her clanmates.

Firepaw wasn't often involved in gossip, she listens to it passively but scantly participated. She claims because it’s unimportant but most of the time she just simply was intentionally excluded for obvious reasons. Wasn’t much fun to gossip with a cat who’d try to rip out your tongue if you said the wrong thing. Her ears swivel at the voices of her peers and the little kittypet brat.

She almost bats at him like she’d bat at Snailpaw for asking obvious dumb questions but she remembered well he would have no clue what any of this was about would he? She huffs as she gets up from where she laid a fox length away to join them, well if he was gonna stay here he may as well know so he didn’t embarrass himself completely - not that Firepaw cared but it wouldn’t reflect well on Windclan. ❝A prophecy. Sometimes our ancestors send them, y’know Starclan❞ she gestures vaguely upwards towards the sky ❝They visit Medicine cats, leaders or anyone special like that and deliver them. They always come true but they’re worded mysteriously, so they’re hard to make sense of❞ it’s as good of an explanation as she can give and he’d have to take it. She would pull her gaze away from him shaking her head, well it seemed the others hadn’t much of a clue what was said either.

With a sigh she’d give it an attempt ❝I overheard some of it, some of the warriors did to. It was like somethin’ somethin’ when leaves fall there will be harmony after someone says somethin’ I dunno the exact words❞ it’s not even close to a word by word. She would glare at Rainpaw ❝It didn’t seem like anythin’ bad so don’t tie your tail in knots❞

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( ✦ )

 

[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — "Nothing of your concern, kittypet."

The venomous words roll effortlessly off of a sharp-edged tongue like the shrill hiss of an adder, the obsidian-colored tom announcing his presence in a haughty fashion as per usual. It was only Snakepaw, sending an icy glare in Silverpaw's direction as he made his way over with his dark nose upturned, as if fully resting his gaze upon the relatively new clan addition was inconvenient for him. Although he had proved his worth to Sooststar at the border scrap, apparently handing Firepaw her own behind, he still found no reason to be trustful or respectful toward the kittypet filth. First Sootstar recruits stinking rogues, now she let in soft-pawed twoleg pets? That woman's decisions... questionable at times. That little squirt would have been sent running for the hills if he were leader.

Ah, no matter. Snakepaw instead turned his attention to what was at hand, a conversation unfolding between the other apprentices, one he knew he definitely wasn't invited to but insisted on being apart of anyway. "A cryptic bunch, StarClan is. Maybe watching us scramble about like fools trying to make sense of their messages is entertaining for them." The tom snorts before pausing to swipe his tongue over his shoulder, always finding time to make sure he looked nicely groomed. StarClan was... an enigma to the young tom. He has no particular reason to justify their existence, except for the stories he's heard from the Great Battle, but they chose Sootstar to be leader, didn't they? Why were some of their decisions beneficial for the clan and some outright damning? It was difficult to understand them; his beliefs were tentative, but perhaps they'd do something good for WindClan soon.​

 

[SNAILSTRIDE]

His eyes opened for the first time. Their back once to the gossiping apprentices, Snailpaw eventually rolled over once mention of a prophecy left Gravelpaw's mouth, lifting their head from the soft earth they were happily splayed out across. Theories run amok following the reveal, from the bad omen that the leader's secrecy portrayed or was just the high-position pair trying to figure it out before revealing it to the rest of the clan. A light smile hovered on their white-splashed muzzle, their pink nose pressed forwards in intrigue. Snailpaw only reclined when Firepaw took the stage, relaying what a prophecy was to the newcomer (much to Snakepaw's chagrin) before telling them all the long sought-after words of the prophecy. "When leaves fall, there will be harmony..." Snailpaw repeated quietly. The leaves had long since fallen, and harmony had long since left the moorland cats. Did it mean that they would have to wait for moons to be safe? Or... did they mean a cat when they said leaves? Curious eyes flittered to the apprentices present, silently grateful that none of them seemed to have any connection with flora in their names. Still... their latter idea didn't make them feel very good.

After all that WindClan had lost to prophecies, it made them nervous to have another that suggested murder would somehow redeem them in StarClan's vision. Paws shuffling, their gaze shot up to the blue sky, squinting for any signs but giving up quickly. They weren't a medicine cat or medicine cat apprentice, why would StarClan want to clarify anything to them? The innocence of youth taunted them with an ego that countless of setbacks hadn't been able to beat out of them, they believed either StarClan or Sootstar had to be interpreting things wrong, and they didn't know which option was worse for the clan they'd been raised in. He masqueraded his concern behind a wide grin, his eyes closed as he beamed like the morning sun. "Can't wait for harmony day then! It'll be nice to stretch out my legs and not have to worry about getting mauled by a badger or moor-dog. Say, isn't leaf-fall a long time away though? Why do you think they've given us this prophecy so soon? Hah, bet StarClan has a tight schedule around that time what with all the..." They blinked, their own answer spoken with disbelief. "Hardship?" That didn't sound right, oh well.

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[GRAVELSNAP]

The soot-splashed apprentice frowns when Smokepaw says that it might be for the best that the prophecy has been kept secretive. Gravelpaw can say for certain that it has not been good at all, hearing just enough information to know that there is a prophecy, but not enough to understand what the prophecy is about. Icepaw and Rainpaw also share the same viewpoint as Smokepaw; their eel-black tail twitches in irritation. "I didn’t hear all of it," they admit slowly, "but Vulturemask seemed urgent about it."

They roll their eyes at Silverpaw’s question—Firepaw will have to jump in. Immediately, they just know that the dark-furred she-cat is likely to say something rude in response to the younger apprentice. But to their surprise, their friend only explains to the somewhat new apprentice what the significance of a prophecy is. She then explains what she heard of the prophecy, filling in the gap that Gravelpaw seems to have been missing. The prophecy is about harmony. Firepaw’s almost-lookalike Snakepaw is the next to approach the group, irritating as ever—Gravelpaw appreciates the inky black tom’s distaste toward Silverpaw, but hates his poisonous attitude. They say nothing in response to Snakepaw, hazel eyes narrowing at him. He’s practically a kit still, but has apparently decided that his place is somehow above Silverpaw?

Gravelpaw turns their glare on Snailpaw when the other apprentice adds their own viewpoint to the discussion. "Not when the leaves fall," he snaps, voice sharp for a moment in their need to quickly correct Snailpaw. They force a gentler expression onto their face, tone going flat, more informative than harsh. "It was when the leaves sprout. So… soon." It’s nearly spring, almost time for the prophecy to come true. Firepaw claims that the prophecy was about harmony, which means that Gravelpaw’s anxieties have all been for nothing… they sigh, rolling their head backward to blink tiredly up at the sky. "I hope that the clan finds peace by then."
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[ DEATH OF A DREAM ]​

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[SILVERTHORN]

ALL NIGHT GAMER​

---

Not a single thing said made the matter any less confusing to Silverpaw. StarClan? Prophecies? The bafflement was clear as day on his face as he squinted at Firepaw and the others. Eventually he shook his head and huffed in frustration. "Sounds like a load of rubbish." He grumbled as he concluded that the wild cats were truly insane when it came to such matters. Though he couldn't help but ponder over some of what they were saying, something that was beginning to bug him. "Though I gotta ask, why would a prophecy meant for cats living on open moors have any connection to trees? Perhaps this supposed peace time is not meant for us, but for those in the forest. That, or maybe your medicine cat dreams of trees because that's where he longs to be." He could merely offer a shrug of his shoulders before he made the effort to move off as his interest waned.
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[Firefang]

The dislike of kittypets plaguing their clan was just about the only thing Firepaw and Snakepaw had in common, Starclan they may even be able t bond over their shared hatred it sure was enough to make her not so inclined to mock his ridiculous way of speaking. Always talking like he was the cleverest bastard in the clan, sure right now what he says doesn't get her blood pumping and she doesn't want to beat him into the ground but it still annoys her. His voice in general makes her skin crawl, she looks to him barely held back repulsion crinkling her nose before she looks back at Gravelpaw as Snailpaw purrs their desires for the harmony the prophecy may bring. They've always been optimistic something she doesn't share with them, she doubts the dangers of the wilds would ever be gone there would always be traces of scents of badgers and foxes and every other rotten beast on the moors. Just as they wouldn't ever be rid of the threat of the lesser clans breathing down their necks.

Gravelpaw corrects them, and she really didn't think as much as they had about when exactly she'd only guessed it'd be soon why else would it be spoken with such urgency. They crave peace as well and she can't help but want to say something ❝Well I mean since the foxhearted traitors are gone things should be more peaceful.❞ she would shrug, they were out of sight out of mind, even if often some of them lingered on her mind.

Her gaze would flit to Silverpaw as the tom began to speak again filling the air with his shit. She whips towards him hackles raising, rubbish he said ❝If you think that then you'll never belong in any clan, you'll learn to respect Starclan if you know what's good for you❞ she snaps claws unsheathing. He truly didn't know how to bit this tongue, she didn't understand why this little snot nosed brat wasn't just run out! She wanted another go at him, wanted to slap that look off his face and regain her lost honor. He was already moving away before she can snarl anything else at him, her tail would lash at him she wouldn't follow she'd just would watch him hatefully before her attention returned to the other apprentices.

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