camp LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER ★ CELEBRATION

[Orangestar]

"SkyClan, gather beneath the Highbranch." Orangestar does not call a Clan meeting this evening with the same haughty formality she usually does, though she perches stop the bough all the same and waits for her Clan to gather. Even kits would be welcome to listen in; Orangestar glances towards the nursery entrance to see if her own would make an appearance.

"StarClan has smiled upon our hunters today." She rasps warmly, a purr rumbling in her throat. Her gaze finds the three patrol leaders in turn with small nods of affirmation, attention skating over the other cats who had accompanied Kitestorm, Silversmoke and Emberfall into the frosty territory. "While it is cold, this freshkill will not last long. Make sure you eat your fill this evening. Share tongues. Be well."

// while this is the central "party" thread for skyclan, branching threads both open and priv may be made! enjoy phase 3, everyone<3​

 

[Ekat]

Ekat lingers at the hollow's edge, shadowed beneath the stretching branches of a tree. Orangestar's voice carries easily through the crisp air, warm and triumphant, a striking contrast to the icy tension still settled in Ekat's bones. Even with the modest bounty brought in, the idea of a celebration feels distant to the young warrior, as though belonging to another world entirely. Her paws shuffle uncertainly against the frozen ground, her gaze lowering from the Highbranch to the dirt beneath as she remembers battling with predators for scraps and the cold dread that had followed her every step in the barren woods. For her, survival felt too fleeting to celebrate with ease.

Ekat creeps closer to their gathered Clanmates, glancing towards the fresh-kill pile which was thankfully higher than it had been all moon — but remaining at the edge of the crowd where she can stay unnoticed. Perhaps she would grab some prey, too, but only after others more deserving had eaten first. Ekat hadn't even been among the hunting patrols that had brought the share tonight, her own encounters running wild with dangerous predators that kept prey from her jaws and her nerves run tight. Anxiety coiled in her chest, a silent barrier against the companionship, the celebration. 'Be well,' Orangestar had said, but Ekat isn't sure she can.​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

It was getting under his skin, this.... this awful cold, stupid biting frost. There wasn't much to be happy about really, was there? Optimism never settled within him easily, though- no, he was always chattering, jittering... tail lashing at unseen hauntings, eyelids quivering with nervousness. Something loomed on the horizon, he could feel it- this hurtling leafbare, was it really just that?

Among his Clanmates, at the very least... he could find a shred of peace. Orangestar's calm voice swept over the crowd, hardy and soothing in its pride- briefly, Twitchbolt looked to his leader and gave her a nod of approval. A quick little burst of a thing.... given before he could think too much about it. Being well, it was easier said than done. But, but ... yeah, he'd made sure of it, the vulnerable were fed... and those who were not hunched in dens protected by the surging family surrounding them, calloused paws freezing from the hunt, would not go hungry tonight. It was barely enough to put a quivering smile on his face, as he picked up something small...

A friend, in the crowd. Twitchbolt's jade eyes crescented with a frail little smile, and he made his way over to them. "Share with me?" It would be a good way to bond, wouldn't it? And, and... he could make sure this cat, at least, did not go weak with hunger as selfless warriors so often tended to do... ​

penned by pin ✧​