call me little sunshine || joining

[WRAITH]

the forest was darker than she expected. the tall pines cast shadows on the ground, obscuring the finer details of the landscape and leaving her to feel like she was crossing into some hidden, mystical place. it was lovely. she looked at her paws as she walked, watched the dirt stain her white fur. she'd never been this far from home before. her owners barely let her into their back lawn. they kept her tucked inside instead, in some big, plush beds, dressed up dainty like a little porcelain doll. it was strange to feel her pawpads growing damp and dirty. not bad, but strange, like looking straight at the sun after a long, long nap.

when she felt that she was deep enough in the trees, the large she-cat paused, letting her ears swivel as she listened for voices in the dark. she knew that this was where the strange stray cats lived. she'd seen them slink back into the shadows here after digging around in her owners' garden for herbs. it'd been months since that first sighting of one, the image she hadn't been able to get out of her head. and now she was here, at their territory's border, hoping to join their ranks. if they'd let her, of course.

"hello?" she called into the empty air. "is anyone there?" she felt very conscious of the weight of her collar around her throat, about what must be the quite overwhelming stench of her owners clinging to her pelt. would they even humor her? a cat raised at twoleg hands. she shuffled her feet and focused on the feeling of the dirt again, soft and natural. this was where she was meant to be... wasn't it?
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[DUSKPOOL]

anger makes you stupid . stupid gets you killed .

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶​

In times like these, Duskpool wondered if he had some uncanny luck with stumbling upon newcomers, standing some lengths away from the Maine Coon, ears drawn back, expression neutral. Heaving a sigh, the obsidian-hued male emerged from the undergrowth, molten copper crinkling as he noted her collar. Joinin’, perhaps? He thought with a tilt of his helm.

Of course, no kittypet would venture this far if they didn’t want something, whether that was joining or when curiosity won over rationality. Funny enough, Duskpool had been in a similar situation moons ago. “A bit too far from your twolegs, don’t you think?” He commented, voice deadpan. His scared flesh prickled, molten copper staring at the white she-cat with no judgment but a flicker of curiosity. “What’s your name kid?” He’d comment, brow raised. “You wantin’ to join or just being curious?” He inquired. Of course, Blazestar would be the final decision, deciding if the feline was safe enough to let into their camp bursting at the seams with kits of all ages. Drivin’ me up the walls. He thought, whiskers twitching in annoyance. ​

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thought speech​

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[WRAITH]

she heard a single rustle before the skyclanner appeared and turned towards the sound, eyes widening despite herself. and then he was there, standing right before her. something about it felt surreal. she'd dreamt about this moment for so long, let the idea of it consume her. should she tell him about the cats she'd seen in the garden? about everything that had led her here? he started asking questions before she had a chance to decide.

she looked him over as he spoke, trying to note all of the differences between the two of them. he certainly looked like a cat that lived in the wild, scars littering his fur like that. she'd yet to see the look of her own face after the escape, to notice her own scarring, and still pictured herself as a pristine little princess of a feline. which was exactly what she was trying to flee.

"yes, i suppose so. but i meant to leave them," she said of her twoleg owners. she decided not to mention the details of her decision to leave for now, unsure how he would take them. "my name is wraith. i would like to join, if you'd have me. i'm not sure what the rules of this place are, but i can learn them. i want to be here." she shuffled her feet again, twisted her neck slightly to adjust the way her collar was sitting. it felt to her like this moment held a great deal of importance.
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[Orangestar]

Brown eyes flit to Duskpool as Orangeblossom reveals herself, pleased to see the scarred tomcat holding up well despite the way their walk has taken them so far from the camp, before they return to alight on Wraith. She is no small cat, but this pale-furred molly is nearly her height already despite clearly being an adolescent. It reminds her of Slate, actually, but with fur of snow instead of soot. Or Ashenclaw- the deputy's scarred maw twists into a deeper frown as she wonders why her mate hadn't been the first comparison she drew.

Forcing herself from thought with a shake of her fur, she turns her attention upwards to the stranger, and straightens her shoulders. The collar she wears makes Orangeblossom think she would remain a daylight warrior, but SkyClan had their fair share of accessorised wild cats. Dandelionwish, for example, has no interest in finding himself twolegs to spend the nights with, yet Sweetybee had brought him a bandanna to wear.

"I'm Orangeblossom, the SkyClan deputy. This is Duskpool, one of our warriors. Wraith, was it? Nice to meet you." Her attitude isn't as friendly as, say, Fireflypaw's would have been, but the white-and-ginger molly carries no open hostility about her. "Are you hoping to join us full-time, or will you go back to your twolegs in the evenings? Unlike the other Clans in the forest, SkyClan will let you do either."

— info

•  
• 
  orangeblossom. tags.
  — she/her, skyclan deputy.
  — mentor to eveningpaw.
  — attack in #e08550. uses trees as an integral part of her fighting style.
  — mean enough to note that her thoughts don't reflect my opinions as a writer haha.
  — penned by mercibun; @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots. :]
  — art by merc!<3
  

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[SILVERSMOKE]

Silversmoke squinted, catching glimpses of a different white fastened around the young one's neck, his jaw growing tight as he imagined what in StarClan's name a kittypet was doing on SkyClan's territory. They often followed one of two stories, either they were hopelessly lost and sought a way back to their owners, or they were hopelessly lost and wanted to see what all the fuss about 'clans' was. Very rarely did one leave their gilded cage for good, but hearing that Wraith may have subverted his expectations, the Lead Warrior found his eyes growing wider in surprise. Silently, he listened to his other patrol mates speak, first Duskpool, then the Deputy, and realising she may not have spotted the silver tabby, he moved forwards through the brush to greet them. "Silversmoke," he introduced cautiously: suspicious, but not hostile - it was difficult to make an assessment of her character. Her fur spoke of luxury baths and food like a RiverClanner's, her face said that she had encountered something] in the Twolegplace that didn't want her there. It was an experience he knew all too well, mirrored by two long streaks over a blue eye that seemed to react slower than the other one.

His gaze flittered to the treetops as Orangeblossom spoke of Daylight Warriors, finding pupils were better fixated there than rolling around like yarn balls. "She said she meant to leave them, didn't she?" He tilted his head towards Orangeblossom, not intending to sound rude, even if the way his tone shifted at the word them left a lot to be desired. It was a hatred for an other that had threatened him and his home too many times for Silversmoke to enjoy having them as neighbours, but SkyClan was too settled to ever entertain nestling deeper within the forest. "Our rules are straightforward: do not intermingle with the other clans, stick to our borders, and defend SkyClan no matter the cost. You will be expected to shadow a SkyClanner for two moons, whoever that is will be able to teach you more about our way of life." He gave Wraith a once over, nostrils flaring. Silversmoke's expression turned neutral, professional almost, his plumy tail slowly swaying behind him as he turned towards Orangeblossom, waiting to see if he had missed something from his introduction. He did not miss taking over her duties for a time, did not miss it at all.
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[WRAITH]

she dipped her head in greeting as two more skyclanners slipped out from the shadows of the forest. these cats, too, had visible scars. what was injuring all of them? predators? accidental trips or falls? each other? she'd heard rumors of the forest cats fighting from her kittypet friends, just whispers that sounded like myth. they suddenly seemed a bit more believable. she adjusted her stance, made sure her chin was up and shoulders were back. she'd never fought, not once, unless you counted ripping up a toy mouse. but she wanted to seem capable of it, need be.

"wraith, yes," she confirmed for orangeblossom. "nice to meet you all." they had unusual names, not the type she'd heard before. she wondered if they'd picked them for themselves or had them assigned. regardless, she liked that it was something different from what she knew. three of her friends back home were named princess.

to silversmoke's comment about her leaving, she nodded. "i'd like to stay full-time." she watched the tomcat as he listed off the rules of their group. they did seem straightforward, certainly doable. she felt slightly relieved. though she'd already committed to the idea of joining, and thus would've accepted any requirements they set forth for her, it was nice to feel confident in her ability to perform for them from the start. "i can do that. absolutely."
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[Orangestar]

Silversmoke's interjection makes Orangeblossom pause. Her frown deepens as her mind repeats the last few moments, the words that Wraith has meowed and the determination in blue eyes; and with a small grunt Orangeblossom is forced to succumb to otherwise silent defeat. Her ears twitch backwards, annoyed with herself.

"Right."

Maybe motherhood has taken more out of her than recent battle experience. Embarrassment warms the tips of her ears and the skin under her eyes, but she finds herself watching with approval as the lead warrior takes point and explains the requirements to join SkyClan as a full-time member. She's surprised, but not wholly so, to hear that Wraith accepts. Orangeblossom has no problem with daylight warriors, but with this small gesture Wraith proves to the deputy that she has the makings of a good and proud and loyal SkyClan warrior.

"Good. You can come with us to our camp; our leader Blazestar will probably want to meet you when he's available, and you'll be able to introduce yourself to more cats around your age. How old are you exactly?" Orangeblossom would hazard a guess around Fireflypaw's age, but this young molly's height is throwing her off.

— info

•  
• 
  orangeblossom. tags.
  — she/her, skyclan deputy.
  — mentor to eveningpaw.
  — attack in #e08550. uses trees as an integral part of her fighting style.
  — mean enough to note that her thoughts don't reflect my opinions as a writer haha.
  — penned by mercibun; @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots. :]
  — art by merc!<3
  

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