camp forged in flames & culture class

[Orangestar]

Orangeblossom has been left equal parts irritated, stir-crazy, and relieved by the decision made by Blazestar to confine her to the camp as best as possible. For her safety, he'd told her. While she understands the logistics of the decision, she's a little annoyed that she hadn't been able to join in with the shelter bust, but she's proud of her Clanmates for succeeding ... even if it had brought a great number of cats with no sense of rules or manners when it came to the Clans. She shudders just thinking about Las Plagas gorging himself on half of the fresh kill pile (though, in a few moons' time, it would likely become a funny story).

With a sigh, Orangeblossom beckons over a few long-term SkyClanners; a warrior or two, a couple of apprentices she knows she can trust to tell other cats things.

"I'm teaching a class on SkyClan. Just the basics - how our ranks work, how ceremonies are enacted, general rules and expectations. How we live." She tells them. "Spread the word; if they came from the shelter, I want to see them front and centre when the shadows are gone from the sunning-stump."

It hadn't entirely been her idea, but it had been agreed upon as a way to acclimate their new Clanmates over the course of the moon to see how well they would learn. As an expecting queen rapidly approaching her due date, Orangeblossom would not be able to teach soon; so, it had been agreed upon that she would kick things off with a talk on SkyClan culture. And, by StarClan, she was determined to make sure she imparted this knowledge in one go.

"This is everyone, then? Good." She sits, curling her tail around her paws. "My name is Orangeblossom, and I'm Blazestar's deputy. By the end of this lesson, those words will mean something to you."

— info

• // her lecture will continue next post i just wanted to make sure i got this up! non-new skyclanners are more than welcome to attend as well :]
• 
  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
  

​

 

[Tawnystripe]

Toffee Mocha has been mostly keeping to himself after he delivered the stubborn kitten to the nursery, not wanting to cause trouble. As with most of the other shelter cats, he really didn’t understand how clan life worked, but he was willing to learn. So when Orangeblossom sends out a notice to join her class to learn all they would need to know, he’s all for it.

When it’s time for the lessons to start, the creme tabby readily makes his way over to the growing crowd, sitting down patiently while the rest of the outsiders file in.

// OOC : I’ll format this later, wrote it on mobile and I’m going to bed GOODNIGHT ​

 

[BRAMBLEHEART]

જ➶ His expression is almost baleful but then again with his looks he could never pull something off like that. Even as he approaches to give learning about this place a chance he is hesitant on doing so. More than hoping that he doesn't run into any of his half siblings or even those othet two. He still has hard feelings of betrayal and distrust running through him, anger that lingers like a bitter taste on his tongue. Fixing his honey olive eyes on the molly he pulls his ears forward hoping to gain something from this. Afterall, he will get to figure everything out as soon as he can from this. The pink collared youth slowly sits down and shifts his short tail, taking a moment to breath and feel the ache in himself. Right, no more of those strange tasting tablets that help. No more comfort with his mother. He glowers at the ground before lifting eyes back up taking in words.

Orangeblossom. They all have those strange names. And she is the deputy but he doesn't know exactly what that means. Guess he will soon.​

 

[Talonflame]

( PRETEND THAT YOU NEVER WENT TO SCHOOL )

Word reached him that some sort of class was being hosted for the new cats, and even though he was not one of the many shelter cats that had arrived in the clan he was still a new guy. His knowledge of the clans was incredibly basic and had been merely picked up during his brief interactions with the various clans, so having an opportunity to solidify it all was simply too good to pass up. The spidery tom arrived at the area in question and he nestled himself within the growing group of willing students. Talon cast his gaze towards Orangeblossom and he waited for things to kick off.​

( BUT STILL, YOU'LL NEVER GET IT RIGHT )

 

[ivytongue [ia]]

Ivy is escorted to the scene by a NPC after showing passing interest in the class. She doesn't particularly care, but she's at least respectful enough to show her greying muzzle in a place where her presence as a new SkyClanner has been explicitly requested. That Fireflypaw fellow had explained in passing what the paw suffix in his name meant, but Ivy finds herself largely unaware of whether or not blossom carries as important of a connotation. Guess she'd find out.

 

[DOEBLAZE]

❝ SUNFLOWER, CAN'T LET YOU GO ✿°.✦ ————————————
Bobbie's round ears perk up; the lilac queen spends a good deal of time in camp (just about all of her time, actually) now that her belly swells with the kits, in part due to Clan rules and part due to her own fears. A pair of cats near her—an apprentice whose name she can't quite recall and one of the newest cats, it looks to be—are chatting about a little class on SkyClan culture her denmate, Orangeblossom, is going to be teaching. Very soon, as a matter of fact, she realizes when she sees the last dregs of shadow begin to creep off the sunning-stump. Bobbie gets to her paws about as elegantly as she can given her current state, and half-limps tentatively over to where the ginger-and-white she helms a group of cats beginning to amass.

She does her best to nestle herself unobtrusively into the crowd, as best one can with a belly that seems to grow larger by the day. Time and repeated explanations by some extraordinarily patient cats had acclimated her to some of the traditions of Clan life, but Bobbie still feels like a fish out of water more often than not, so hopefully this will help. She just hopes the newest arrivals don't mind her attending.

[penned by dejavu - ✿]

———————————— ✦.°✿ HOW DID YOU GET SO COLD? ❞ ​

​

 

[MOURKA]

To be honest, Mourka's been here for weeks but still knows next to nothing about...any of it. All of it. He's heard stories of the forest cats, and some of those rumors have either been corroborated or dismissed in his time here, but everyone's been so preoccupied with all of the disappearances that there was little room for showing the new guy the ropes. Not that Mourka's complaining—it feels a bit shitty to demand a clanlife tutorial while everyone's afraid that their friends are dead.

Now, Mourka is settled somewhere in the sidelines, near enough that he can hear Orangeblossom without straining. He figures a culture lesson can't hurt. He can't deny that he's been curious about some things, even if, in the long run, they won't mean much to him once he leaves. Just another story to tell one day.​

 

[Orangestar]

This definitely isn't the whole group Johnny had freed from the shelter, but Orangeblossom doesn't care much for the tardy. They could catch up.

"First off, welcome to SkyClan. There are five Clans in this forest, including us. Across the river is RiverClan, meeting our other border is ThunderClan. Beyond ThunderClan are the swamps of ShadowClan and the moors of WindClan; know that if you venture that far, you are not safe. There is a piece of neutral ground, however, called Fourtrees, and once a moon when it's full, the Clans attend what we call a Gathering. The leaders share news, you can talk to other Clan cats, someone who isn't Blazestar inevitably starts an argument," she's pretty sure this is completely true, "and we all come home."

She makes a small gesture with her tail towards the clearing around them. "As you know, this is SkyClan camp; it's the heart of our Clan, and where cats who aren't daylight warriors spend their nights. Daylight warriors are a kind of warrior unique to SkyClan, whose loyalties lie not only with their Clan but with the twolegs who house and feed them." Once upon a time, she would have said love. But with her littermates' betrayal to the shelter, she's not so sure if she believes that anymore. "Every other Clan in this forest turns up their noses to kittypets as if those from different origins aren't the source of our strength."

"As I mentioned, daylight warriors are a type of SkyClanner, a rank, and we have a pawful of ranks just like that. Blazestar, our leader, is the highest authority in SkyClan. As StarClan's chosen founding leader of this Clan, he was given nine lives and therefore more time to devote to his Clan. A leader's chosen successor is called a deputy- currently that's me, Orangeblossom. When Blazestar's lives run out in a very long time, I will take his place. In the meantime, my duties are normally to organise patrols, assist with the upkeep of the Clan, and advise Blazestar where necessary. You'll see Thistleback organising patrols, however, as I am currently considered a queen. We'll get to that later." Yeah, she'll just confuse herself if she explains them out of her mental order.

"Our medicine cat, Dawnglare, is our Clan healer - you will have seen injured and sick enter the den over there, which he shares with his apprentice Fireflypaw and any of their patients who need supervision. If you want to come out of an illness feeling better mentally, ask Fireflypaw." As if Dawnglare would provide any assurance. Better to avoid him altogether. "Their job is also to interpret signs and dreams from StarClan; prophecies, like the one that lead us to the shelter. Kind of spiritual guides. Then we have our Lead Warriors, Blazestar's council and trusted adult cats who will step in to assist with Clan life as needed. If you have a question that's not urgent and you aren't sure who to ask, find Thistleback or Silversmoke or-" Daisyflight or Sheepcurl. Orangeblossom shuts her jaws firmly for a moment, realising that their number of lead warriors has halved in an instant.

With a shake of her head, she continues: "Just those two right now. Then we have warriors; you know about daylight warriors now, but full-time warriors live here in SkyClan permanently. Warriors are trained cats who can competently hunt, fight, and climb, though there are exceptions like Figfeather and Butterflytuft. We all have unique suffixes that show off our most striking feature, be it appearance, a skill, or in reference to an important event.

"If a cat has yet to graduate with their full set of skills, they are considered an apprentice and carry the suffix paw. They are assigned a mentor, a warrior who is deemed knowledgeable enough to pass on their skills to the next generation. A cat too young to train, younger than four moons, is considered a kit and awarded the suffix kit to show that. They aren't allowed out of camp for safety reasons without an escort, such as a queen. A queen, or den-minder if you prefer, is any pregnant or nursing cat who is confined to camp for rest until their kits are apprenticed. This job is just as important as a warrior's, and the nursery's permanent residents have unique suffixes for that reason. Then we come to elders, our final rank." Orangeblossom gestures to Ivy, earning an unimpressed scowl in return. "Elders are our retired cats, either due to age or injury. They keep the suffix they earned during their life, but are relieved of their duties to rest and live their lives comfortably because of their seniority.

"That's all the ranks, any questions?"

— info

• // rules & expectations next post :3
• 
  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
  

​

 

[Soma]

YOU KEEP THE SUNSHINE,
SAVE ME THE RAIN ​

---

Soma managed to slip into the small crowd of shelter cats just before the shecat -Orangeblossom, they'd called her- began to speak. And quite frankly it was a good thing he had, because there was no shortage on what she had to say. Still, the young tom did his best to take in the piles of information being dropped on them, the majority of which was about ranks and which cats they could go to if they needed anything. Gods knew that his brother wouldn't be paying attention to any of it. Junco was exceptionally talented at soaking in information on the things that interested them, but anything else? You'd might as well be talking to a rock- and he said that with love.

By the time the ginger and white shecat fell into an intermission he was half expecting the first question to be 'could you repeat that', but since he wasn't interested in sitting through it a second time when there was obviously still more to go, he kept quiet and hoped that anyone who did talk wasn't stupid enough to say it either. As much as the large raven tomcat was attempting to pay attention, it didn't change the fact that he'd always learned better by just jumping right into things. Figuring out people and what it was they did, the rules, all that shit- it's was always easier to experience than to listen to.

Still, he would humor these cats, because at the end of the day he couldn't afford to lose his spot there.
​

---

LONER - male - 12 months - single - a large black and white tomcat with asymmetrical tuxedo markings and electric green eyes.

 

[Bunny]

—————————————————☁ ✧ ° . ☼ . ° ✧ ☁ —————————————————​

Clan life is weird. The rules are a mystery to Bunny, and the terminology stumps him completely. Their names are too long, their words like nothing he’s heard in his life as a kittypet or loner, and they keep mentioning a Starclan as if that’s supposed to mean something to him. Still, he's determined to stick this out — he feels like he should, anyway — so when Orangeblossom announces some kind of lesson on Skyclan life, he’s more than happy to attend. He sits next to Ivy, distractedly smoothing unruly fur on her side while he waits for the deputy to start speaking.

He quickly discovers that he can either focus on grooming the elderly molly or on the torrent of words coming out of the orange cat's mouth. He stops, tongue still sticking out of his mouth, and his eyes widen as he struggles to commit to memory all the information suddenly dropped on him.

The terminology seems needlessly complicated — and why wouldn’t daylight warriors be a thing in every clan? It seems so convenient to have half your warriors fed somewhere else. Although the caution is understandable seeing their recent mishaps with twolegs. The names only confuse him further: they’re so long as to take twice as much space in his brain as anyone else’s, and he fails to grasp them entirely. He can kind of see who Dawnglare is going off the smell of herbs clinging to the cat, and Blazestar he knows well enough by now, but he doesn’t have the slightest idea how he’d go about finding Silvercloud for answers or whatever the name was.

By the time she asks if anyone has questions he’s so befuddled that he can only think to ask, ”Do we have to do… anything? Like, patrols… what are those, exactly?”

Hierarchy is all well and good, but so far it doesn’t sound much different to any loner group, complicated names aside. He’s seen his fair share of colonies, and they all seemed to be just loners going about their usual business with added company; somehow, he doesn’t think clans will be like that.
​

. ° ✧ ☼ ​

​

 

[Orangestar]

"A patrol, by definition, is a group of cats outside of camp." She explains, a short sigh accompanying her words. She'd known that it would be a slog to explain all of this, but now that she's actually doing it her patience is wearing quicker than she thought possible. "Able warriors and apprentices are expected to hunt so that we can all eat, and participate in general upkeep of the camp like changing moss and patching holes in the dens. Every so often, we re-mark borders where our lands meet those of ThunderClan and RiverClan, so that the Clans next to us know where SkyClan territory begins. It's part of the warrior code now, not to trespass and hunt on another Clan's territory, so it's extra important."

Oh, that was a nice little segue. "The warrior code is a set of rules that all five Clans agree on. Both of these have been proposed to and agreed upon by all five leaders at the Gathering, a big meeting of all the Clans that happens during the full moon, so these are the very big, very important ones. So far, there's two items to it: don't trespass on another Clan's territory, and that your loyalty should be first and foremost to your Clan."

— 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
  

​

 

[SNAPPAW]

Resting in SkyClan's camp comes with the expectation of Snapple to learn their ways. Or, to at least understand what's going on in this new world they find themselves in.

And, he's never been too good at listening to lessons, has he? His mother tried to teach him the ways of their home colony, tried to teach him the dangers of wandering off, and look where he is now! Standing in a strange forest, with strange new faces!

He sits among the newcomers, honey-furred tail wrapped around snowy paws. He tries to listen to the speaker's words - Orangeblossom, deputy of SkyClan; Snapple doesn't understand why they have to all have strange names around here - really, he tries! But Orangeblossom says a lot and his mind can only hold so much! Still, the child nods along, trying to focus on the ranks explained before him.

"So I will be.... Snapplepaw...?" he asks slowly. Or... maybe he'll be Snapdragonpaw, but he's grown quite fond of his new name. And, that's only if he stays with SkyClan, of course! Mother must miss him!

Patrols are spoken of next, and Snapple lights up at the thought of leaving camp, of getting to explore the area. Those sounded fun! He hopes there's no traps further into the forest, or else he could be snatched up again - brought back to his shelter-home. How sad would that be, if he'd been freed, just to wind up back there again!

The child zones out, hardly aware that Orangeblossom has moved onto speaking of other things. Vaguely, he hears mention of gatherings and a warrior code, but his paws itch, wanting to get out and explore.
​

 

[Tawnystripe]

Toffee listens intently to Orangeblossom's explanations, and is honestly impressed with how well organized everything seems, upfront at least. These clans have a real system going here, and it seems to be working so far, from what he can tell. He can totally see himself growing alongside SkyClan, as more of the code is built and the cats settle into a true routine. It makes him the most excited he's ever felt for the future.

While he gets the gist of clan roles, there is one question that comes to mind. "So, what constitutes an apprentice? Is it also age based, or will most of us fall into that category as we don't really...know how to do what y'all do yet?" He's a tad older than a good amount of SkyClan he's met so far, and he snorts at the thought of being treated as a young trainee. ​