camp just the universe . intro

[BUMBLENOSE]

Downtrodden and bitter, Bumblekit's slender frame slumped in a deserted corner of the nursery. The reinforced reed bed beneath her seemed to playfully tickle the side of her cheek as she aimed a glare toward the pallid, unsuspecting ground below. Deep within the confines of her pint-sized self, a whirlwind of exasperation roared like a hurricane.

I don't get it. I want to learn how to swim too! She grumbled internally, thoughts resembling a tempestuous sea of longing and desire. Earlier that morning, while her parents had trotted away to their warrior duties, Bumblekit had seized the golden opportunity to beg the queen on nursery duty to let them join the apprentices during practice. The mere idea had lit a firework of excitement in her imagination, promising a day of wild escapades and fun.

Alas, in one resounding swat of the queen's tail and a few stern words, Bumblekit's dreams had plummeted. The queen, regal and unyielding, lectured her about the perils that lurked beyond the camp's protective borders. The crushing refusal left Bumblekit feeling like a rain-soaked leaf, burdened with the weight of her own misery.

Now, she found herself wallowing in the melodrama of her own sorrow, tucked away in a secluded corner of the nursery while her friends and siblings frolicked in the camp clearing. The nursery's walls, once a comfort, now felt like they were closing in on her, and the cheerful banter of her denmates sounded like an annoying chorus of birds. "No fair." She muttered lowly, and her voice dripped with disdain from the ugly emotions welling up.

TLDR;
Feel free to have your cat approach and interact with her!​

 

[DIPPERFROST]

If there was any cat that knew about wallowing in their own sorrow, it is Dipperpaw. Though usually she does not feel sad, she is often told that she has that look about her. The way her eyes turn down and the corners and the way her features are usually drawn into neutrality often made her appear sad when really she is contemplative. Still, she is no stranger to the emotion and when she ad been a kit she had cried enough to fill a river of her own. Jaypaw was a different story, her upbeat sister was always her opposite.

With her mentor falling ill, she finds she has a lot more downtime on her paws than usual. Later, she would beg a patrol to take her with them but for now she lounges in the shade by the apprentices den, watching as sunlight catches the shells woven into all of the dens and makes the shade dance across the clearing. Her attention shifts to the fresh kill pile when a patrol comes in and drops some prey off. Might as well take something to the nursery she thinks to herself. She wasn't doing anything anyways and she's sure the queens would appreciate it. Her course decided, she pushes herself to her paws and heads to the pile.

She spends some time deliberating but after a long moment she chooses a plump looking bird and swiftly brings it to the nursery. As she enters, she hears a voice, small and squeaky speak up from a corner. "What's not fair?" she asks automatically, placing the bird in front of her paws as she speaks. The matters of kits were always so trivial but she is bored and willing to bite.
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[FALLINGLIGHT]

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ⸻ It's important to keep the queens fed, especially with the new code implemented. He, like Dipperpaw, has wandered into the nursery with some freshkill. Also like Dipperpaw, the sheer despondency of Bumblekit draws his focus, enough so that he leaves the fish to a queen rather absentmindedly before drifting toward the dark kit. He doesn't want to take up too much room, so when he drops down to Bumblekit's level, he keeps his legs tucked under him instead of sprawling out freely.

"Here I thought the nursery was supposed to be fun," he starts, smiling at her lightly. He worries that the mood around camp has gotten to the kits in here, too, and really, how could it not? He knows Dipperpaw is concerned for her mentor, and there are countless other cats down with Ravensong. Even their youngest and most innocent can't be free of that reality. "Whatever it is, Dipperpaw and I will try our best to help."
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⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ 𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙾𝙵 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 / / \ \ 𝙿𝙰𝙸𝙽𝚃 𝙰 𝚄𝙽𝙸𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙴𝙸𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 / / 09.08.23 \ \ 𝙵𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙸𝙽𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙸𝚃𝙴

• —ooc:
• — FALLINGLIGHT / / 13 moons old / / amab and uses masculine pronouns; will be startled by the use of any others.
  — warrior of riverclan / / earned warrior name early at 10 moons / / skilled but not experienced / / mentoring [n / a].
  — npc parents / / father died in the great battle and mother left when he was apprenticed / / no contact w / siblings.
  — flirtatious & disastrous bisexual / / fairly indiscriminate (even when he should be) / / closed to long-term romance.
  
  a fairly trim, athletic cream tabby and black chimera with high white. fur is thick and a bit sharp, though tends to soften and curl primarily around his face and tail when wet. eyes are a bright, gleaming blue at home with the river on clear, sunny days. he is rarely without a devil-may-care grin, though despite his daring personality, has yet to accumulate noticeable scarring.
  
• dear shell, times were rough when i was a kit. my mother never hid much of anything from me, and i have to wonder if the queens now are just as honest. starclan, i hope the nursery remains safe— i don't know what i'd do if yellowcough gets that far.

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[carawaysong]

mid-game of mossball, carawaykit had been oblivious to bumblekit's pleadings. she only noticed her littermate's disappearance when she chased after the runaway bundle off moss and caught an apprentice and a warrior making their way to the nursery. nearly stumbling over the abandoned ball, she ignored the whines of protest from the kits she was playing with and barged into the nursery.

"bumblekit? what happened?" concern laced her dark brow as green eyes scanned the ebony kitten's face. whatever it was, fallinglight offered himself and dipperpaw to help. but that was her littermate. "i'll help too!" carawaykit purred, closing the distance to bumblekit and aiming a friendly shoulder bump.

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• CARAWAYKIT ✧ she/her, kit of riverclan, two moons
  ➺ carawaykit is a pretty longhaired silver tabby kitten with green eyes and a lithe frame. born into riverclan, she loves her home and has a deep fascination with becoming a warrior to provide for it. a highly spirited and adventurous kitten, she enjoys playing games and pushing boundaries.
  ➺ willowroot x poppysplash ↛ sister to bumblekit, tidekit, mosspaw, hazepaw, antlerpaw, and buckpaw
  ➺ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking ↛ see battle info here
  ➺ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[BUMBLENOSE]

Dipperpaw's question caught the small fuzzy she-cat off guard.

Surprise prickling at her like a storm brewing along the river's edge. Welling up inside her, breaching the surface like overflowing banks. Frustration surged forth hotly, and her cheeks bore traces of tears. Hiccuping followed suit, and she succumbed to her morose feelings.

To some, it might have seemed like pure silliness, but to her, it was a matter of grave importance. Not even the inviting scent of food wafting through the nursery could soothe her sobs. Hunched down even further, her face eventually squished into the soft surface of the nursery floor.

Over time, her whining muffled into a cry as she managed to respond to Dipperpaw. "Eeryfing." The words smooshed between sniffles.

When Fallinglight's softened voice reached their ears, it brought the kit some relief. Albeit, her embarrassment still very much present. She slowly lifted her head face marred by tears, and whiskers dusty. Huffing pitifully, she nodded, causing a faint crunching sound by the movement.

It was true that she usually found plenty of joy within the nursery, but the desire to experience the same happiness outside of it weighed heavily on her. At the arrival of her sister, seemed to help lift the sadness from her chest momentarily. Sitting up, a wobbly smile adorned her face, as she welcomed the loving bump.

With the supportive words of the others she gradually got the gusto to speak.

"I-I didn't mean to cause trouble, and I don't think you can help me..." Ears flattening again, while their gaze drifted off to the side. Shame also gnawed hungrily at their gut, and her eyes itched with rawness.

Bumblekit let the silence linger for a moment before continuing. "I was told I can't go with the apprentices for swimming practice." She allowed the weight of that to settle before her voice escalated in volume "I know I can't go, but I want to learn how to swim too!" Their gaze focused squarely on the group, eyes filled with hurt.

Even if it was childish or foolish, it still ached to be so small when so much was happening. She just wanted to be of use and get strong fast, but she struggled to verbalize said desires.

Proving to only frustrate her further as Bumblekit sat and fumed.​

 

[Nettlepaw-]

He doesn't care about the Queen's rebuke, or the other kit's pleading. He doesn't care about the denial, or the accompanying sorrow from Bumblekit. She could sit in her corner and sulk for all he really cared. No, what Nettlekit cared about was the newly introduced smell of fresh-kill. He thinks it's a bird, but he supposes it could also be a mouse, or a vole. It's certainly not a fish. Brought into the den by an apprentice of RiverClan, it would soon serve as a grand feast for the child who now prowled clumsily after it. Unfortunately, Nettlekit finds himself stumbling into an assortment of obstacles. He blindly staggers past a nest that trips at his paws, tumbling to the soil. Ear flattening, the boy clambers to his feet and carries onward.

By that point, others had entered. He smells and hears Fallinglight, soon followed by Carawaykit. Blind eyes flicker sightlessly across their frames as Nettlekit travels onward, only to trip right over the bird, and land against Dipperpaw's fore-limbs. Ugh. He supposed he wasn't very stealthy anyways. It was clear that he wanted the fresh-kill. Or at the very least, a part of it. Scrambling back to his feet and away from the apprentice, he huffs his cold irritation into the world. "Sorry." The boy mutters simply, moving toward the bird again. He knows it's a bird now, because when he had stumbled over it, he could feel the soft feathers. All the while, Bumblekit is crying out their little sob story about wanting to swim. Well... he can't really blame her. Being stuck in camp was boring. Swimming sounded far more interesting. One thing was for certain... if Bumblekit managed to whine her way into a lesson, he was going too.

"If she gets to swim, so do I." Nettlekit pipes up flatly. "I want to learn." But first... hunger. Fresh-kill. Food. Where was that bird? He feels around for it with his paw, having been distracted for a moment.
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OOC NOTES . ◭ . CHARACTER INFO

• ooc : — ​
• 
  

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  nettlekit . nettlepaw . nettle?
  

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  — kit of riverclan
  — tom, he/him; unknown sexuality
  — two moons; ages realistically
  — born blind in both eyes
  — npc x npc, sibling to ???
  spacer
  

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  spacer
  large in size, his paws are, perhaps, a bit too big for his sleek form. creamy fur coats his frame, marred by muddy hued stripes and milky eyes of leafy green. white splashes the tip of his tail, and each paw seems dipped in cotton.
  ↳ lynx mink with low white & green eyes
  spacer
  

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  spacer
  ( + ) intelligent, determined ( / ) ambitious ( - ) callous, manipulative
  — will start fights | will end fights | will flee | will not show mercy
  — peaceful powerplay permitted
  spacer
  

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  ​

 

[DIPPERFROST]

She remembers when she had been a kit, it had not been too long ago after all. Her and Jaypaw - then Jaykit - toddling about the nursery. She remembers watching the big cats coming and going from the camp, remembers wondering what it was like out there. But her mother had told her to stay in the nursery and so that is where she had remained, playing at being a warrior with her sister. But also she remembers one day her mother coming to the both of them, telling them that they were going swimming. She remembers how excited she had been. Swimming was for the big cats after all! They had started out in the shallows like many of RiverClans kits had. Was Bumblekit and her siblings not going to be allowed the same?

Her eyes flicker to look at Fallinglight out of one corner as he forcibly volunteers her to help. What could she even do in this situation? She was not Bumblekits mother, she could not remedy it. Swimming was something a queen was meant to teach, not an apprentice. "You all will learn soon" she assures them "I was barely older than you three when I started" she remembers toes dipped into the water then running squealing away, crying because she was afraid. How foolish she had been, swimming was the best thing in the world.

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OOC NOTES . ✦ . CHARACTER INFO

• ooc : — ​
• 
  

  

  
  

  ➵ she / her
  ➵ riverclan apprentice
  ➵ single
  ➵ bisexual
  ➵ a tall, long legged blue tabby and white she cat with a plumed tail and blue eyes, the left one containing a burst of yellow
  ➵ toyhouse [ ✦ ]
  ​

 

[Moonbeam]

Walking by the nursery was always fun, although everyone that was in there now were not there when she had been stuck within those walls, Ratpaw still enjoyed the games that many kittens made up and liked when there were new games or new rules to games that she hadn't yet been able to play. When the young apprentice saw others gathering by - and in - the nursery, Ratpaw thought that there was a game happening, but the soft sound of sniffles caused her ears to prick and eyebrows raise in slight concern. No one was calling to be rushed out of he nursery or for someone to get help, so she figured it was a decent time to walk into the nursery, hearing the last bit of the conversation. Brows fell and a soft smile replaced the earlier look, and she nod her head in response to Dipperpaw's statement.

"Maybe on one of the days the current isn't strong, your parents will take you to the bank by the camp and swim there? That's where I learned at first." As stuck in camp as kits in all the clans were, RiverClan had to have more things to do, with a fresh source of water and a way to swim right there.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ I thought that love would stay a mystery

• 
  ⋆ ratkit - ratpaw - rat???
  ⋆ female - she/her - 4 moons
  ⋆ homosexual - too young for relationship
  ⋆ apprentice of riverclan
  ⋆ attack - speech - thought
  ⋆ penned by tikki

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