border NEW FANTASTIC POV ✘ INTRO, JOINING

[CHIVEPAW]

The forest is so much... livelier than he could have ever anticipated. Colors bleed into one another, the foliage shifts as birds hop from one tree to another, their song filling everything and driving out the possibility of silence. The very ground is alive underpaw and changes from soft to rough at a moment's notice. Not for the first time since Nemo began his trek, he stops to shake his paw from any debris or bugs. Who knew there would be bugs?

Little tufted ears are pressed to the top of his skull; inside it, the gears in his brain are moving so fast that he'd be surprised if there is no steam wafting off of him. It's all so overwhelming. The fur alongside his spine lifts in anticipation, eyes narrowed to scared slits, flank twitching each time he hears something in close vicinity.

He doesn't allow himself to second guess himself. There is no reality where he could go home again, not after everything... his heart still twists with betrayal; perhaps it is ill-placed, born out of a misunderstanding between species, but Nemo has already made up his mind. Never again would he present himself on a silver platter to be poked at and hurt.

And that very concept is amusing if one considers where he is headed.

A young mind is prone to high fantasy. Already Nemo is crafting up ideas based off what he's heard from rumors and the odd "survivor"; wild cats living side by side, neighbors but enemies all the same. He imagines dark eyes peering at him from the depths of the forest - their paws surely know every nook and cranny in sharp contrast to his stumbling steps, barely knowing where to put his paws.

Perhaps they'd attack him on sight, and he would have no home to call his own.

Something snaps in the near distance. A twig? A dried leaf? Nemo freezes in place, tail bristling with terror.

Perhaps they'd take him under their wings and mold him into someone much greater.

"Wuh... who's there?" The voice wavers. Not a chance that high pitch could ever be taken as intimidating, though he doesn't try to be. Nemo knows his place: understands he is prey, something easy to pluck from the ground or tear to shreds, a tiny ant in this world of giants.

And yet, he doesn't turn tail and run.

That has to count for something, right?
​

 

[CHRYSALISWING]

"Skyclan is." Gruff voice sounded from the curling shadows, and Chrysaliswing's chimaeric pelt soon unveiled itself from the gloom of the pines, like some sort of chiaroscuro molded of evening varnish and nightly hue. Keen ears had heard Nemo stumbling about like a bumbling drunkard, footfall uneven and inelegant, and he could tell immediately that the other was not of the forest. He did not breathe as them, he did not eat as them, and he did not move as them. "What is your business here, kittypet? Speak quickly." The longhaired tom stepped up to the wavering kittypet, and though he stood right in front of the marble-colored cat, his own mismatched gaze pooled in a beclouded, unreadable expression. Though the housecat's boyish voice shook like a leaf fraught in a blustering storm, he did not run. The Skyclan warrior could give him that, at least, but that was the extent of the grace from the vitriolic tom. Chrysaliswing doubted that Nemo would attack him, judging on the sum of the feline's shivering silhouette, but claws slowly yet eagerly unsheathed at the prospect of glints of wine-dark sanguine. If he were foolish, then there would surely be a fight to behold.

𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 ⚠︎ 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘦

• OOC:
  
• 
• 

  —— CHRYSALISWING / He/They / 24 Moons
  —— Warrior of Skyclan / Mentoring n/a
  —— A long-haired tomcat with chimaeric patterning. His left side is fully black and his right side is black splotched with sunset-orange. He has complete heterochromia, with his right eye being a bright green and his left eye being a glowering yellow.
  —— Abrasive, temperamental, and critical. Approach at your own risk and engage at your own cost. Despite this, he is a hard worker and quick to call out what he finds wrong.
  —— Penned by Tempest. Contact on Discord (naruk4mi) for plots and threads.

​

 

[Owlheart]

Owlheart trailed behind the orange stained shadow that was Chrysasliswing, splashed white paws dancing around twigs and dried leaves, trying to not let her own presence be known until she wanted it to be. The red tabby peered around him, looking at Nemo with curiosity, he definitely looked like how he sounded. He was young, the warrior couldn’t gleam exactly how young though, she was never good at guessing ages. At least apprentice age, definitely older than a kit but younger than a warrior. Golden eyes glanced at the warrior as he spoke ‘SkyClan is’ really? Did I hear that right? While she thought what he said was incredibly cheesy she wouldn’t dare let her expression give that away. Nor would she voice the disbelief she carried that would say something like that with the same intensity that he would carry when delivering an actual threat.

Not wanting to appear like an easy opponent on the rare chance that this strangers looks were decieving she stood straight, trying to make herself look taller than she is. She was taught to be careful after all, there was a very real possibility that he could mean them harm. Despite that, wide unblinking eyes looked at the cat in front of them with concern. Was he injured? He didn’t appear to be outwardly injured, she took the time to inspect him for any blood or cut. Maybe he was just naturally skittish. Her plumy tail flicked behind her, while she made herself look a little taller overall she didn’t try to appear overly intimidating, just enough to protect herself. A stark contrast to the looming warrior to her side, she did hope that maybe someone who wasn’t as intimidating being here would ease any concerns the stranger had, if he wasn't a threat that is.

"What's your name?" she meowed with a sterner tone than she's had to use in moons. Owlheart hoped that the question would ease him into talking just in case he was too timid to answer the other question laid out in front of him. Stars know that if she was in Nemo's position she would be petrified into silence at the vitriol that Chryasliswing carried like a second skin.​

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[CHIVEPAW]

And like clockwork, they arrive. SkyClan as the prickly one calls themselves. They show themselves with confidence oozing off of their forms, brushing past the cover of the trees, judging every twitch of his little body. Nemo presses himself closer to the ground with his tail lucked between his leg and his ears down; he hopes it screams I mean no harm, please don't hurt me, but something in the back of his mind tells him he lost begging privileges the moment he set foot outside of his previous home.

"I, uh..." Already the walls of his throat are closing in. How is he supposed to get a word out, quickly, when he's this scared already? The second cat is not much friendlier, but her question finally gets him to talk, words tumbling out of his mouth at once. "My- my name's Nemo. I escaped from my housefolk after they hurt me..."

The tom has called him kittypet. How does he already know what Nemo is? What does it mean, anyway?

A beat of silence that does little to soothe his nerves. He ought to say something more, isn't he... "I, I heard of cats living in the woods. Can I... come with you?" Surely he's gone coo-coo. Now that his request is out there in the open, it sounds so silly. He had been stewing over this decision and how he would present it to willing ears for moons- and this is what comes of it?
​

 

[FIGFEATHER]

Figfeather pads up behind Chrysaliswing and Owlheart. With a taste of the air she too registers just as fast as her clan-mates that the adolescent was not clan-born. He reveals his name is Nemo and he's escaped from his housefolk after they hurt him. Her whiskers twitch, they hurt him? She's never heard of twolegs hurting their kittypets...

He wants to join them? She casts a look at Chrysaliswing, who surely would disapprove, and Owlheart. Orange eyes swerve back onto the fleeing kittypet, "Being a clan cat isn't as easy as you think it is." She says assumingly, "You're use to your food being handed to you, a warm nest to sleep in every night, and impenetrable walls enemies can't get through to get to you. There's nothing like that out here, we work for everything and even then, nothing is guaranteed." Figfeather tries to explain as bluntly as possible to ensure Nemo understood what they were asking for.

"We've had two cats die from foxes in the last half-moon." Mottledove and one of Orangestar's lives. "This is the life you want?"

♡ INFO BATTLE

• 
  » Figfeather
  » SkyClan Lead Warrior
  » She/her . AMAB
  » Sire to Sangriakit & Coffeekit
  » Mentoring Daisypaw
  » A red tabby she-cat with a mangled leg.
  » ”Speech”․ thoughts ․ attack
  
• 
  » A foe in battle whose ability to strategize can shift tides.
  » Excels in strategizing and pre-planning her battles.
  » Fights defensively and to aid her clan to victory.
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing

​

 

[CHIVEPAW]

Oh, there's another one.

Realistically, Nemo should not be the slightest bit surprised by this - he came here to meet them, presented himself on a silver patter for their eyes to feast on (and hopefully only their eyes). A tall one with wide eyes, backing up the others' statements.

Nemo gulps and it almost gets stuck in his throat, but he manages to push it down. It'd be... impossibly embarrassing to hack away in front of these three. "I can learn." His voice remains meek as ever, words feeling like sandpaper within the confines of his throat, but he says it without stumbling over them. Small triumphs, right? "I... want to feel like a, a real cat." The only comparison he can draw is the neighbors and strangers he had seen through the windows; careless and free, somehow looking way more mature than himself.

That's what he wants.

"Yes," he says, despite death being brought up like a promise, not a possibility. Perhaps he is too young to understand it, or too naive to grasp its full weight... but right now, he is certain of this. "Please."
​

 

[Tawnyclaw]

*+:｡.｡ It feels almost cruel to be interrogating a cat barely old enough to be an apprentice. Tawnyclaw would frown, quirking a brow at Figfeather's efforts, but not quite finding it in himself to question her. After all, as harsh as she may be, she isn't wrong. If Nemo wants to be a clan cat, he's going to have to understand exactly what he's signing up for. Listening to the boy's rebuttal doesn't feel entirely convincing - being a real cat is all well and good until you're faced up against a fox - or a sudden, inexplicable illness that takes you out in broad daylight...Sighing, Tawnyclaw rubs the back of his neck before shaking his head. Ah, screw this formality bullshit.

"I like your conviction, kid. Pretty determined for someone so small and squishy" he purrs teasingly, lifting a paw to lightly pat the boy's head. It strikes him, suddenly, that only a handful of moons ago he was just as small, just as sure of himself and his place in the world - sure of his ability to carve something in it. "If no one else is going to be friendly-" he raises his voice pointedly, but doesn't glance at anyone in particular - "then I'll be the first. M'names Orch-" he coughs, then continues smoothly, "Tawnyclaw, it's nice to meet'cha. You'll love being a Skyclanner, I'm certain of it" he says with a warm smile.

Because, really, was Figfeather honestly going to turn away a kitten in need? Doubt it. So lets skip the fierce warrior act and cut straight to the toddler pampering, shall we?

Resting his tail on Nemo's shoulder, he purrs, "Y'know, I'm the leader's son, AND the deputy's brother so I basically run the joint" he shoots those present a playful grin, challenging them to call him out on the obvious lie, "So if you have any questions on 'real cat life', just ask me! I've got you, promise!"

His goal, if it wasn't obvious enough, was to liven the tense mood. While he understood the need to vet any potential joiner, this was just a kid. One who's been abused. If nothing else, Tawnyclaw hoped he could get the boy to relax a little. After all, whether any of these cats liked it or not, Orangestar wasn't going to deny Nemo's joining, surely.

"Now, here's a real important question for you - what're your thoughts on trees? "

*+:｡.｡ Updated 3/15/24

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  GENERAL:
  ♔ Tawnyclaw
  ♔ DFAB— He/Him — Unsure
  ♔ 12 moons — Ages 1 moon every month 28th
  ♔ Skyclan — Warrior
  ♔ Son of Orangestar and Ashenclaw
  ♔ Brother to Cherryblossom, Eggbounce, Glimmersun and Owlheart
  
  
  
  COMBAT:
  ♔Physically hard | mentally medium
  ♔ Attack in bold #bf8924
  injuries: None currently

​

 

[FIGFEATHER]

Satisfied by Nemo’s conviction and unwavering desire to be apart of SkyClan, she opens her maw to speak only to find the voice of Tawnyclaw sounding. She closes her mouth and looks at him, an invisible brow raising at first in confusion and then annoyance. His tone is pointed but he makes no specific glance at anyone, she can only assume he is referring to the entire patrol.

As the scarred chocolate Tom continues to speak Figfeather grows more and more irritated. He wasn’t speaking like a warrior, he was speaking like an apprentice who’s forgotten all respect and manners to those with seniority over him. He was getting too much of a high out of Cherryblossom’s promotion, Figfeather would do what she could to ground him again.

”Excuse me?” She warns in a not-quite growl, her orange gaze meeting the warrior’s challenging grin. ”Have you forgotten how to behave? I’m handling this.” Figfeather doesn’t like to make a scene in front of cats who are not SkyClan, but she won’t tolerate being leapt over by a new warrior.

Eyes slowly shift back to Nemo as she partially expects some sort of counter from Tawnyclaw. This new generation of warriors was out of paw… At their age she would not have dared. ”Come, we’ll take you to Orangestar. If you are accepted into the clan you’ll be made an apprentice and given a mentor to learn our ways.” Stepping away from the border she flicks her tail in a beckoning motion for Nemo to follow. The warrior slowly turns and begins to hobble through the forest at a slow enough pace for the kittypet, unused to the terrain, to keep up.

♡ INFO BATTLE

• heading in the direction of camp. @Cherryblossom or @Orangestar :)
• 
  » Figfeather
  » SkyClan Lead Warrior
  » She/her . AMAB
  » Sire to Sangriapaw & Coffeepaw
  » Mentoring Daisypaw
  » A red tabby she-cat with a mangled leg.
  » "Speech"․ thoughts ․ attack
  
• 
  » A foe in battle whose ability to strategize can shift tides.
  » Excels in strategizing and pre-planning her battles.
  » Fights defensively and to aid her clan to victory.
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing

​

 

[CHIVEPAW]

Despite soothing words, Nemo attempts to flatten himself against the ground further (as if it's possible at this point), hesitant to accept the physical contact. The stranger purrs, though, so he accepts the paw and is relieved to not feel the scratch of claws on his forehead. That's... not so bad. He could get used to this. Maybe.

Finally, Nemo actually receives a name. Tawnyclaw. Now that's something he will remember easily. It rolls off the tongue neatly, even if it's a bit longer than what he's used to, and it inspires an imagine within him; the scarred tom must know how to fight, when to strike and when to withdraw, and has probably gotten his pelt decorated with those scratches due to his immense knowledge.

And yet, the battle-hardened warrior smiles at Nemo. It's only polite to smile back.

"Really?" He all but beams at Tawnyclaw, finally having the chance to engage in conversation instead of cowering in fear as he gets bombarded by questions that feel like tests. "That's so cool." Tawnyclaw must be important then.

His question about trees draws less of an excited reaction from Nemo though. "I tried it once or twice before... it was, uh, fun, I guess. Why'd you ask?"

There's no room left for anyone to continue though, not when the she-cat with the narrowed eyes and weirdly authoritative voice speaks. She looks and sounds annoyed when she addresses Tawnyclaw, and Nemo almost feels something akin to protectiveness. Don't be mean to him, he wishes he had the guts to say, he's my friend now!

When she draws her gaze towards him again, he doesn't know what to expect. Words filled with hot-blind rage? But she just talks of Orangestar, someone Nemo guesses to be the leader if that's really who will decide his fate, and he almost jumps out of his own skin. "Yay!" A pause, and an attempt to fix such an immature outburst. "I mean... I can't wait."
​

 

[Orangestar]

It isn't far to camp, and nor is it far to the leader. Orangestar is intercepted by the patrol on her way out, headed with @Springpaw towards the sandy hollow close to RiverClan and ready to continue with battle training. The patrol who finds her is an odd group. Figfeather, her two youngest kits, and Chrysaliswing: it's not a combination she would have placed together of her own volition, knowing how prone Chrysaliswing is to bickering with literally any other cat in the forest, but who is Orangestar to assume the bonds that form between her Clanmates?

"A new face." She murmurs almost to herself as her paws come to a halt, brown eyes flicking over the stranger stood before her. Young, paws pressed close together in an attempt to make himself seem smaller in comparison to the SkyClanners who stand with ease at his flank. "My name is Orangestar. Since you are here with our warriors, I take it that means you are either intending to join us, or bear a message of great importance?"

ooc ✧ 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦

•  
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  [ art by pin ]
• ORANGESTAR ✧ she/her, leader of skyclan | eight lives
  
  
  — "a scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes."
  — single ; mentoring springpaw
  — speech is in #F18C47
  — tags | penned by mercibun, contact on discord for plots.
  
  
  
  

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