KEEP HOLDING ON — intro

[COYOTEBITE]

Despite walking on tired paws, Coyotebite pressed on. With the dropping temperature, the molly knew how vital it was for her to return to camp before nightfall. Prey was growing more scarce each day and a small part of her worried about what that would mean for the clan through the remainder of leaf-bare. They didn't appear to be struggling yet, however, she was wise enough to know that meant little to them currently. Even this time, the patrol had only found a few pieces of prey combined. A sigh would escape her jaws as she returned her gaze to the path ahead, desperately trying to take her mind off her concerns.

"Once we return to camp hurry and take your kill to the elders' den. I'm sure they'd love to have a warm meal this evening." Barking an order at an npc apprentice, she'd glance over her shoulder at her patrol, tailing her quietly. Some spoke quietly amongst themselves, while others walked along in complete silence. While the patrol seemed to be in high spirits, she couldn't help but wonder if they were sharing the same concerns. The npc apprentice was lucky enough to have caught the squirrel he did, leaving the other members struggling to catch even a small mouse; herself included.

As to be expected, the camp was mostly vacant, the elders and queens huddling in their dens in an attempt to stay warm, meanwhile, the apprentices either had not returned from training or were hiding in their den themselves. Nodding her approval to her patrol as they parted ways, Coyotecall decided to lay herself down in a sunny spot inside camp, hopeful that at least one of her clanmates would determine it was warm enough to join her. Quietly grooming her fur, she would subtly watch as cats passed by, moving in and out of camp, a silent protest of leaving her place.
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[Shinebug]

Shinepaw was born at the beginning of the last Leafbare. The boy had grown up enjoying the season, playing in the snow while his status as a kit and a naturally thick pelt had saved him from the hunger and shivers that hounded his clanmates. So when the apprentice felt the air begin to chill, he silently looked forward to its return. As he returned from Coyotebite’s patrol, though, the shaft of sunlight regretted his optimism.

The cold still wasn’t an issue, neither was the hunger even as he was now a lower priority on the totem poll. Shinepaw’s biggest gripe with the season was the sheer frustration it brought. The anxious apprentice wanted to catch as much as he could for the clan, but all he’d managed were a few mouthfuls of snow.

That said, the rest of the patrol hadn’t seemed to have faired much better. Sky-blue eyes looked on with jealousy at the apprentice who’d caught the squirrel before turning towards Coyotebite, padding forwards and sitting down beside the more experienced cat. She seemed calm, a stark contrast to Shinepaw’s squirming worry. “Is this the worst of it, d’ya think?” the anxiety-ridded extrovert asked, trying to assuage his fears by disguising it as idle chatter. “This is my second leafbare. I was really young the first time, so I don’t remember how long it takes for the prey to come back.”​

 

[batwing]

.i'll be your calm, —————————

————————— before the storm!.

▵ ———————— ◮ ———————— ▵

Batwing knew the season well. Had he been through three of them? He had lost count, he reflected quietly. His tail twitched, having just delivered moss soaked with water to his mate within the nursery before stepping free of the utter warmth the den provided. A huff left him, breath curling white in the air. Eyes shifted towards the returning patrol- some with empty mouths, others with measly and skin-and-bone mice.

His eye twitched, but he ignored it. Coyotebite and Shinepaw were talking softly, well, Shinepaw had been talking and Coyotebite hadn't responded yet. Batwing approached, offering both a smile in these trying times. His head turned towards Shinepaw, and he hesitated. "I'm assuming you were born at.. the tail end of leaf-bare last season, yes?" He sank into a sitting position, his paws dipping into the cold and muddy ground. Well worn with other cat paws, and slightly unpleasant to sit on right now.

"It gets worse, but it must in order to bring forth new life." His head inclined quietly. "I don't say that to upset you, but rather prepare you for what is coming." Batwing's green eyes turned towards the nursery, and a small grimace left him- yes, he would be part of the reason some of them would be going hungry tonight, in favor of feeding his kits. But they'd enter leafbare young and small, and Batwing would be damned if he let them go hungry. Someone was already planning a night-hunting patrol, a solo something or rather.

He looked back towards Shinepaw. "Our next season will bring a wealth of food, and warmth, because of the cold period we're provided. All we gotta do is hang on until then." Batwing offered a grin, his face enthusiatic. Hopefully, even though what was coming out of his mouth wasn't considered helpful, the look on his face would assuage any fears.

"speech"​

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[freckleflame]

she’s freezing ; like, freezing her tail off. there are frost flurries clinging to her pelt and no prey in her belly to sate the light hunger she’d nursed since the fresh kill pile had begun to dwindle. her patrol had been relatively uneventful, if they didn’t count the burn of ice sting at her pawpads, and as they plod back into camp, all she can think of is getting off of them. she sees the path of golden light before coyotebite, but as her eyes travel it’s snow - dappled path, she decided that the molly is just the extra - warm end of this sunny rainbow.

the tortoiseshell slides in close after batwing, aiming to flop down close nearby, bumping her flank in a perhaps overly - friendly way. a brilliant smile stretches the corners of her maw, ” hiiii, coyotebite! “ a trill, almost sheepish as she curls in. batwing is saying something about leafbare, something foreboding and she merely hums along, letting her thick tail slap at the snow behind her. he glances towards the nursery, and she knows what he’s thinking ; the fool’s kits were inside, nursing at leopardtongue’s belly. she purses her lips, takes a breath, ” someone’s feelin’ sunshiney today. “ a light tease, joking despite the tinge of seriousness at its edge.

leafbare was dangerous. leafbare was cruel, and conscious, meaner than any badger or boar they could’ve faced. she swallows hard, lowering her chin to her maws and beginning to groom them backward to fight the chill, ” the prey’ll start sniffin’ around again once the frost lets up. th’ cold won’t last forever, but it’ll feel like it will before th’ end of it. “

𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝙼𝙴 𝚂𝙼𝙸𝙻𝙴 -`☀︎´- 𝘗𝘓𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘠 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘈 𝘞𝘏𝘐𝘓𝘌 𝘕𝘖𝘞

• i.
  
• 
  
  
• 𖦹 . LESBIAN, SINGLE. SMELLS LIKE SUN - WARMED OAK. SIXTEEN MOONS. FRIEND & SISTER TO MANY. NAMED WARRIOR OF THUNDERCLAN ON 8 / 3 / 2023. PENNED BY ANTLERS .. !!!
  f. she / her, daughter of sunfreckle and rabbitnose. large cream - ribboned tortoiseshell with seaglass eyes. larger than life! shades of vibrant russet, dousing swathes of shadow and interwoven with ribbons pale cream come to drape like licks of flame over a thick, broad - shouldered figure.
  
  unspecified maine coon heritage born of sunfreckle's kittypet background shows itself in large, round paws and tufted, long - furred toes set upon thick, tabby - splotched limbs. a characteristic lack of personal space leads her to a slouching, touchy posture, often inclined to lean or bump against her peers, all while bearing a wide, bright - eyed grin. she seems to sing confidence from every laugh, every word.. that can't all be for show, can it?
  
  ——— ˙⋆ — prone to bouts of explosive emotion. all opinions are solely in - character and during these times, often untrue or said only in anger.
  
  

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[COYOTEBITE]

A short nod of greeting would be made to Shinepaw as he moved to join her, finding her whiskers twitching with a hint of amusement at his words. She too understood the frustration of having to give away your share of food to the younger or elder members of the clan. It was challenging, going without food for so long, but she found herself in agreement with those who willingly passed on the opportunity to another. Her jaws would part to speak as Batwing joined them on his way back for the nursery, answering in her hesitation.

"He's right." A pause follows her words as she tries to come up with the right words to say to the child who sat anxiously before them. There wasn't much that could be said that would ease the sting of the truth, however, he would need to learn sooner rather than later what each leaf-bare would bring for them. "Leaf-bare is always the most difficult time of year. Prey goes into hiding due to the cold much like we have every desire of doing. Many of us will grow hungry and may not be able to eat much if at all." Again, she would take a moment to search Shinepaw's eyes for any sign of worry, and attempt to console him with a touch of her tail to his flank before continuing.

"As Batwing said, it's important to prepare you for what's to come. It's alright to be concerned about the welfare of the clan. All of ThunderClan's strongest members even find themselves concerned at times. We'll get through it fine enough. Just like we do every year." There wasn't a single cat she could name that felt leaf-bare was their favorite time of year. For good reason too. They'd be out of their flea-brained minds if they thought there was anything joyful or pleasant about these several moons.

Freckleflame wasn't far behind in joining their conversation, quick to seek the warmth of Coyotebite's long fur. Normally, the touching and socializing with cats she wasn't close to would drive her mad. However, she would do her best to mask the discomfort she was feeling as the molly snuggled beside her, willing to let it slide this time for the sake of keeping a clanmate from turning into an icicle. "Hello Freckleflame." A chuckle escapes her as her clanmate tosses a teasing jibe towards Batwing, then nodding along in agreement as she offers some reassurance to the young apprentice following her "speech" of sorts.
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