pafp IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR ❀ CURIOSITY

[LUNGWORTKIT]

Downyfur. Their name is very fitting, Lungwortkit has decided. They are all soft edges; from the plush roundness of their pale coat, to their tiny body that is the nearest in height to her own stature the girl has seen yet, right down to their big blue eyes. Maybe one day she'll have her own name, and it will be just as apt—Lungworteye for the one she doesn't have, maybe, or Lungwortnose for the way her breath crawls through it at an agonizing pace. Warriorhood seems like a distant, half - understood future, though, a faraway landmark cloaked in obscuring clouds. A problem for a future Lungwortkit.

" Downy, " she greets, lopping off the fur as she's apt to do. A heldover habit from days when breathing was truly hard, she saves herself a half - lungful of oxygen by leaving the syllable out. Even now, her head pulses lightly with an ache and her chest prickles tightly—but it's background noise for a cat who grew up fed on herbs and hungry for air, and it does not dissuade her in her quest.

" What's a tunneler? " The girl gets straight to the point, stating her question in terms as plain and unadorned as her solitary nest in the nursery. A split eye bores into their face, one she might call cute if her vocabulary were that expanded, but instead merely registers as having an appealing roundness and smallness not unlike her own. She has heard talk of tunnelers, but, despite her advanced age, possesses next to no awareness of what that actually is. @downyfur had seemed knowledgeable enough when informing her of her apparent rudeness a few sunrises prior. Surely they can enlighten her on this, too.

OOC : Please wait for Downyfur to post!

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[downyfur]

She doesn't call any of us by our full names, huh? Downyfur can't in good conscience attribute that to malice, yet even a 2 moon-old WindClanner knew proper address by the time they could speak. It's not like she was unaware of their names either; surely she's heard them a thousand times since her arrival, from the ear-dulling list Scorchstreak rattles off every morning to the earnest calls of lovers across camp. "Hello, Lungwortkit." They try for subtlety at first, a gentle reminder that her name, like everyone else's, is more than just one word. Then she remembers subtlety doesn't work well on kits, and lightly adds, "My name is Downyfur, remember?" The sooner she picked this up, the sooner she'd stop being stared at.

They aren't surprised by her straightforwardness, even if they themself had never been so. It's appreciated; there still exist eggshells littered around everyone's paws, but kittens like her just stomp all over them and prove they were never a big deal to begin with. Or maybe Downyfur is just that much of a pushover that they'd just let her. "Hmmm." It's not an uncommon question. They could even recall asking about tunnelers themself as a kit, only to be thoroughly convinced and terrorized by Beetlenose's promises of becoming a worm were they to become one. Luckily, they're not in the mood for antics.

"You know what a warrior is, right? Warriors can leave camp by themselves, and they can hunt and fight on their own." They nod towards the hustle-and-bustle of camp behind them. "Tunnelers are warriors, but they do everything underground, in tunnels. That's why they're called 'tunnelers.'" Wide blues examine the patch-furred girl a little more closely now, head cocking imperceptibly. They don't stare at kits often enough to know how big they'd get just from a glance, so her future (and how important making out tunneling to be great to her) remains unknown to them. "Why do you ask?" More like, "who did you hear this from?"​

 

[DIMMINGSUN]

A B C​

Lungwortkit has proven to be a strong presence ever since her return from the badger set — or even before that, if he considers the ruckus and turmoil she has unknowingly caused, thanks to Cottonsprig's good heart. Even if some of his Clanmates deem her a plague within this Clan (ironically, that is exactly what she brought), she is wrapped up tightly in innocence... and if there is one immutable thing about kittens, it is their endless curiosity.

Amusement finds him when he hears her talk; one cannot dispute the certain charm she holds. The way she clips everybody's names into something much less of a mouthful is endearing... and smart, if he thinks of her issues with breath.

The ranks of tunneler and moor runner always offer an allusion to WindClan's uniqueness. Even when the scope is kept strictly to the moors, the two sets of warriors could not be more different from one another... and yet they never fail to bond together in times of need. None of the other Clans under the starry ancestors' rule offer this much variety; it is quite a source of pride for Dimmingsun. With each new generation, their warriors will only fit the specifications for the appropriate duties more. He, himself, might not be a perfect image for a moor runner — but as his Clanmates find love, young additions only grow more lanky, perfectly built for the endless runs.

"Tunneler talk?" Dimmingsun declares his involvement in the conversation with much zest. For what it's worth, he extends patience as Downyfur — the much more apt one for this out of the two currently present adults — explains as simply as one could. "Is that something you'd like to do, Lungwortkit?" Whether she would become one or not is up to her own physicality... and Sunstar.
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[NIGHTPAW]

All he knew about tunnelers was that his father was one, and that being a tunneler was the most honorable job anyone in windclan could have. Nightkit wished to one day become one because that surely would please their father who always spoke so highly of their job. Special ones, only special ones become a tunneler. Not just anyone could become one. The kit had eavesdropped on the current ongoing conversation the two warriors had with Lungwortkit to learn more. He had been at a distance pretending to be playing with a rock he rolled back and forth between his forepaws while ears eagerly were listening.

Apart of him wished to join in to correct them that tunnelers were more special then regular warriors was and that Lungwortkit most unlikely would get picked to be one even if she might dream for it. Some dreams were never meant to last. But, he did have questions on his own though, because he didn't exactly know how to get picked to become a tunneler.

" tunneler, how?." Nightkit had out of the blue joined the three like he had sneaked up on them like a mouse. Looking between Downsyfur and Dimmingsun the kit blinked, waiting patiently for them to answer the question that had plagued him for a very long time. Whatever it was, whatever he needed to do, Nightkit knew he could do it to make sure to become a tunneler so father would be proud over him.




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[erminepaw]

"TUNNELS!!!" Erminekit announces with a shout as he butts his way right on into the conversation. Intrusion is something this kit is adept at, and he plans to utilize said super power as much as possible. He thinks the tunnelers are cool, like WindClan's super secret elite force!! All he knows about them, really, is that they go in the tunnels and that they're cool and that they're the best, and that they must have to be really strong in order to be one, and!!!! ...Yeah that's it. But Downyfur looks like she's gonna talk about what cool things tunnelers do and Erminekit would be remise if he didn't worm his way into this conversation.

"I wanna hear about the tunnels!! Is it dark down there? Is it dangerous? Do you get power? OH!!!! CAN YOU SEE IN THE DARK JUST LIKE IT'S DAY TIME ON THE MOORS??!!! THAT'S SO COOL!!" So, mayyybe Ermine had the wrong idea about exactly what a tunneler did, but he had the spirit of curiosity possessing him so he could be excused. Besides, the adults were here to explain everything away, so his lack of knowledge can really only be attributed to him being a kit still.

Lanky grey tom scurries on over, taking a seat right next to Nightkit, grinning widely, as he leans over and tries to hiss in his ear, "tunnelers are sooooo cool!!!"
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[ROWANPAW]

The life of an underground navigator was not one that Rowanpaw's father had idealized and especially not one he had wanted for his children. Snakehiss would have upbraided them for possessing the gall to return to camp with messy, dirty fur after a long day of training. Bitterly, Rowan recalls those hazy memories; it seemed so long ago now that the traitor had practically exiled himself from WindClan. They train as a tunneler now despite his wishes, and although they had met the job with apprehension at first, they now fully embraced it as part of their identity.

Maybe Snakehiss had been too prideful and arrogant for his own good, constantly talking as if the profession of a moor runner was far superior. Plenty of WindClanners praised and idolized the efforts of the tunnelers; in fact, many kits dreamed of being chosen for the special job. Some kits were making a fuss now, gossiping and squealing in excitement when Downyfur began explaining the lives of those who worked in the tenebrous passages.

When Nightkit asks the simple question of "how", the nearby chimera decides to provide their own input — it seemed that poor Downyfur was being swarmed with inquiries. "A cat is made a tunneler based on their size. If you're small enough to fit into the tunnels, then you will be one." The mad Moor Queen herself had also been a tunneler if they could correctly recall from legends of yore. She must have been tiny, something that was hard to believe especially with a reputation like her's.

The blue-hued kit's screeching causes Rowanpaw's ears to fold backward. They were half-tempted to tell him to be quiet, but who would they be to interrupt the youngster's curiosity and zest regarding the topic? "Erm," The trainee clears their throat, unsure of how to handle Erminekit's energy. "No, we don't get powers. You aren't able to see much down there, so we rely on the rest of our senses to guide us. Our whiskers, especially." They provide a summary of a tunneler's skills, one that would hopefully satiate the loquacious kitten's questions. "It can be very dangerous."

𝐈𝐌 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ✹ . + ˚ · 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐈𝐓

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  a tunneler apprentice of windclan, rowanpaw is nine moons and is mentored by swiftshade they are the child of snakehiss and berrysnap. split directly down the middle, their right half is solid black and their left half is tortoiseshell patterned. they also have amber and blue heterochromia. ✦

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[deerpaw]

Deerpaw, as his name suggests, is far too tall and lanky to be a tunneler, but if you ask him, he isn't much of a moor-runner either. His coat is too long, in his opinion, evidenced by his difficulties with getting his fur snagged in the moorland scrub. He keeps his plumed tail held low behind him, so as not to draw attention.

He hangs back, letting the tunnelers explain their job to the eager crowd of kits, angling his ears back to protect them from Erminekit's squeals. He can't bear the thought of the tunnels, all cramped and dark, the earth pressing close to your sides as you guide yourself forward with only your whiskers. No sunlight, no fresh air, no grass or flowers. The spotted tom has to suppress a shiver.

Though...

"How -" the beginning of his question bursts out of him unexpectedly, and he winces, embarrassed to have drawn attention to himself. Fleeing will only make him look worse, so Deerpaw reluctantly shuffles forward. "Pardon me - how, um, how do you know where you are? Underground, I mean. There's no - no landmarks, surely..." He hopes that that isn't a stupid question.
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[ JUST LOOKING FOR A PROTECTOR, GOD NEVER REACHED OUT IN TIME -- ]​

 

[heatherpaw.]

( ⊱✿⊰ ) "papa says tunnelers are the most important windclanners." the sentence is spoken as if this is immutable evidence towards the truth, and to heatherkit, it is. she pads towards the conversation, quirking her head towards nightkit. she seats herself beside him because he's her brother, a xenial air between them even as she does not turn to address him. dusky blue eyes fall upon the questioner, little lungwortkit, garrulous and un-yielding in her speech.

blue-tipped ears flick from the girl to the question answerers, downyfur, assisted by dimmingsun. from what she can recall, sootspot has no ill will towards either of these warriors, so the girl relaxes slightly. erminekit's arrival eclipses her own, and she curls her lip in distaste at the tomkit's jovial tone. they were discussing something serious! it is propitious that heatherkit will eventually become a tunneler, with her lithe, small frame. for erminekit to treat it as a joke or a silly story is disheartening. she rolls her eyes, meeting her brother's gaze.

rowanpaw gently and calmly answers the out of control kitten's questions, the chimera tom replete with patience heatherkit does not have. "how do you use your whiskers?" heatherkit asks a question that actually has some semblance of sense. she straightens, flicking her own whiskers as if to illustrate.

SAY WHAT YOU WANT ⊱✿⊰ BUT SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT

• // ic opinions as always xoxo "#b2a0bc"
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• HEATHERKIT ⊱✿⊰ SHE / HER, WINDCLAN. DAUGHTER OF SOOTSPOT, SISTER TO BRAMBLEKIT, NIGHTKIT. 3 MOONS, PENNED BY LAVS
  
  
  
  a longhaired blue lynx point with blue eyes. her body is cloaked in pale snow-white fur, a storm of blue flooding her face, tail, and paws. stripes of darker blue accentuate her eyes nose, and band around her legs. shining eyes stare out from the angular shaped face, a deep, faded blue color.

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