camp one step closer // return to camp & introducing joiner

[Flamestar]

She can feel the heat in the back of her pelt as Raccoonstripe followed behind her. Stormywing and Roaringsun had vouched for the young tom to join, but her lead warrior was far less welcoming to outsiders. Rightfully so, but she didn't view the kittypet as a threat. The apprentice den was far emptier than the clan had been used to as of lately, and this tom was still young, and he seemed eager. His twolegs had abandoned him within their burning den..she couldn't blame him for not wanting to return. Even so, he had a lot of learning to do. But for now, he needed to get checked out by Gentlestorm and Hopepaw before starting his training.

As the patrol emerged into the camp, many gazes shifted to look upon the new face. "This is our camp. This is where you will stay until I assign a mentor to you. Stay here with Stormywing, I will go grab Gentlestorm." The molly had been insistent on him joining, so she could watch him for a few moments. Normally she would send Bayingpaw to fetch the older tom, but she wanted her dear friend to hear the news from her, instead of her sometimes sour tongued apprentice. Before giving anyone the chance to protest, the fiery tabby trotted off in the direction of the medicine den.

"Gentle? Hope? Can I borrow you for a moment?" She would ask as she poked her muzzle into the den.

//
continuation of this thread
@Keoghan @STORMYWING @RACCOONSTRIPE @ROARINGSUN

Currently grabbing: @GENTLESTORM or @HOPEPAW

★★★★★★★☆☆

FLAMESTAR.ㅤBIOGRAPHY ㅤ/ ㅤTOYHOUSE
✦ afab (she / her)ㅤ / heterosexual, widowed, formerly taken by flycatcher
✦ 43 moons old ㅤ/ ㅤages realistically, every 20th of the month
✦ leader of thunderclan since september 2024
✦ lily x storm ㅤ/ㅤ mother to: falconheart, stormfeather, lilykit, butterflykit, bugchaser, squirrelsong, sunbird, ravenblaze, sparrowpaw
✦ ㅤpenned by Icey ! ㅤ/ ㅤmessage Icey ! on discord for plots!
✦ ㅤmentoring bayingpawㅤ / ㅤmentored: cloudyfur, acornwish, merlinpath
✦ will start fights, will end fights, will kill

longhaired red classic tabby with green eyes, and low white. she has a shredded right ear, and has many scars that are visible in windy conditions.

 

[Flurryjump]

"Heya Stormy! Who's your new friend?" Flurryjump chirped cheerfully as she bounded up to her friend and the returning patrol. Her fluffy tail flicked with excitement as her gaze quickly shifted to the newcomer. The tortoiseshell she-cat looked at them with wide, curious eyes, her expression full of innocent wonder. It had been a while since a kittypet had joined ThunderClan, but to Flurryjump, that only meant more company to enjoy. The more, the merrier! Every new face in the clan was a welcome one in her book.

"Are any of you hungry?" Her voice was bright and warm as she glanced between the patrol members. She had caught some prey earlier and was eager to share it with them. The kits and elders were already well taken care of, and she figured the returning patrol might be worn out from all this excitement, perhaps ready to relax a bit.

"Or maybe some fresh moss?" she added with a playful grin, her energetic nature bubbling over. Her paws twitched with the urge to help, the unmistakable excitement of wanting to do something useful was clear in the way she bounced on her feet.

---

OOC:​

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[Copperpaw]

I SEE A DREAMER OVER THERE BY THE WATER

Keoghan | 06 months | male | he/him | physically weak | relieved | attack in bold color

---

​

Keoghan followed behind Raccoonstripe, figuring the less he reminded the tom of his presence the easier it would be. When they finally came to a stop, Keoghan froze for a second as all eyes turned to them. Of course, with how organized everything was, he had guessed there were more than the four who had found him, but he hadn't been ready to receive this much attention. To think, he had been just sitting there in his twoleg den all this time, unaware that a whole group of cats were gallivanting around nearby.​

"This is our camp. This is where you will stay until I assign a mentor to you. Stay here with Stormywing, I will go get Gentlestorm."

Keoghan nodded agreeably at these words, only wincing a little upon sitting as a burn spot was irritated by his fur. Everything from here on out appeared to be beyond his control, so why not make it easy for them to do whatever was necessary? Gentlestorm was probably important from how Flamestar spoke, and it was clear from how the she-cat walked off that nothing would be done until her return, which was perfectly fine by him.

Just then, a cat came up to greet the group and quickly turned their eyes over to him. "Hello. I'm Keoghan!" He interrupted volunteered as gracefully as he could. This cat was refreshingly energetic compared to anyone else he had met today, and it inspired him to give a bit more as well. When food was brought up, a hopeful look crossed his face. "Can I have some of your food?" It was a pretty safe bet he had been included in her comment about being hungry, but maybe it didn't work that way. Best to be sure.
​

 

[ROSYPAW]

Flamestar says until I assign a mentor for you, and Rosypaw's head perks right on up. "What?" It was supposed to be a whisper — something secretive, something awed, but instead they almost bark the word like one of the yappy twoleg dogs she's heard the warriors talk of. (Not that she had ever seen one for herself; Mudbelly barely let her out of camp at all.) Suddenly it strikes her what the leader had meant, and unfairness strikes at her like flint. The apprentice's jaw sets hard, fluffy tail tip lashing at the ground and verdant eyes slitted.

Stormywing and Raccoonstripe accompany them. Both warriors that he admires (even if Raccoonstripe is. . . intimidating, in his skill). Were they okay with this? Sure, Stormywing had been a kittypet once, but that was– that was different. She wasn't now. She'd proved herself. (Except. . . No. It wasn't his place to judge that.) Everything is complicated. Nobody had warned them that being an apprentice would come with all these — feelings. Jealousy over the others' progress was already bad enough. Now there's a kittypet that's going to– what? Sleep in the same den as them? Eat food he hasn't earned? Rosy doesn't say anything, but looks at Raccoonstripe with poorly veiled dismay. Surely he would say something?

ooc:

hi ily keoghan im so sorry about rosy

►

rosypaw, young apprentice of thunderclan. afab — she, they, he. only kitten born to alderthroat x barkfoot. ..mentored by mudbelly.

a lean,.. fluffy-tailed chocolate tortoiseshell with high white and spring-green eyes.
endlessly nosy and exceptionally determined, .with intelligence and a tireless drive.
an excellent climber, though otherwise inexperienced and poorly ( barely ) trained.

 

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

RACCOONSTRIPE

HE / HIM ◆ THUNDERCLAN LEAD WARRIOR

Raccoonstripe is silent on the journey to their camp; every pawstep feels misplaced, as though he's complicit in making some irreversible mistake. ThunderClan's newest member stumbles somewhere behind him, determined to keep up through the newleaf growth and the unfamiliar forest despite his injuries. He's got courage, if nothing else, he thinks with little feeling, but is that enough to make a warrior? Roaringsun had become a loyal enough warrior, but he had thought the same of Stormywing—and look where that had landed them all.

He shivers through the gorse tunnel somberly, dark eye seeking the smoky pelt of his mate among their Clanmates. It is Flurryjump who greets them all instead, bright and cheery and completely unfazed by the stranger in their camp. She offers them all prey, and he snorts. "Well, we certainly didn't find any. Our paws were full with this one." Raccoonstripe flicks the tip of his tail, watching Flamestar disappear into the medicine cat's den.

Keoghan—stars, Twolegs chose such nonsensical names for their house pets—introduces himself to Flurryjump and immediately requests some of ThunderClan's prey. Raccoonstripe's expression darkens. And how long will it be before he is fit enough to catch his own? Before he is not a burden we cannot afford?

He catches Rosypaw's eye, and Raccoonstripe's whiskers quiver as he tries to tamp down his doubts. "This is going to be your new denmate. I expect, at some point, he will be training alongside you." His tone is flat. "This was Flamestar's decision." His disagreement is clear… but regardless, she is their leader. Whatever mousebrained path her headstrong paws choose to travel, he will stand beside her as her lead warrior.

Raccoonstripe flicks his single-eyed gaze to Stormywing. "I hope you are prepared to hunt extra for your newest ward. Until he is fit enough to learn to feed the Clan, that is." It's only fair, isn't it?

ooc:

—

accordion

Raccoonstripe is a lead warrior of ThunderClan. He has thick, silken black tabby fur interrupted by a stark white chin, chest, and belly. One ear is ripped to shreds; the paired eye is missing and scarred over. The other eye blazes golden-brown in direct sunlight. Two near-vertical scars slash across a milky chest. One forepaw is ivory; the rest are dark.

Gray Wolf x Howlingstar / sibling to Hollow Tree, Little Wolf, Cobwebtail, Lily Pad, Graystorm, Jackdawflight, and Berryheart / mate to Nightbird / father to Bayingpaw, Twilightpaw, Tigerpaw, Stormpaw, and Berrypaw
mentored by none / previously mentored Wildheart, Moonwhisper, Scarletdust / mentoring Stormpaw
51 moons old as of 03/05/2025

penned by Marquette

 

[Copperpaw]

I SEE A DREAMER OVER THERE BY THE WATER

Keoghan | 06 months | male | he/him | physically | mentally | attack in bold color

---

"What?" comes a voice from beside their group, and Keoghan's gaze flicks over to the sound. It's a cat only a bit bigger than him, probably also about his age. Maybe a potential friend, except the expression on her face is not one of friendliness like Flurryjump, but something he can't quite decipher. Just then, Keoghan realized he'd actually been wrong. He had seen this expression recently from a certain one-eyed tom, one of quiet disdain. His guard raised, and a slight growl exited his maw, expression now very annoyed. Not even ten steps into camp and he was already on other cats' lists?



That was ridiculous, even if he was supposedly a burden. Thinking about being a liability set his whiskers on edge, and he grit his teeth. It was no surprise he would be expected to put in a lot of effort, but if they wanted to doubt him, so be it. Just another reason to show Flamestar she had made the right choice. When he tunes back into Raccoonstripe's words, he is actually mentioning her, and Keoghan takes a quick breath before moving over to Rosypaw.



"Hello there. I'm Keoghan! I hope we can be friends. If not, then know that I will give back the respect you give me." He said, a small grin on his face that did not reach his eyes. This marked the first time Keoghan had ever used such a defensive measure, but he found it strangely natural. From what he had gathered of those like One-Eye, ironclad truth and honesty seemed to work best, so what if it came in the form of an ambiguous threat? His gauntlet suitably thrown, Keoghan turned and moved back toward the main group.​

​

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[nightbird]

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ the scent of a stranger is enough to raise nightbird's head, draw her from the bramble walls that poked at her hardened pawpads while she worked. she draws curiously, head tilted as her gaze rakes over the newcomer. it was newleaf at least, the time for strays from loner queens to come crawling to the border. but this one was no loner.

there was a softness, unmistakably kittypet with his cheerful greeting and immediate begging. nightbird lets out an amused huff as she draws next to raccoonstripe, gaze unyielding in her assessment of bright orange fur. she gives her mate a questioning look, nearly finding it unbelievable that a kittypet had been brought back to thunderclan with his presence on the patrol. he wasn't happy about it, if his simmering was any hint.

"you've gone soft," she teases quietly, muzzle craning up to reach his ear. nightbird bumps him gently with her shoulder as she leaves to return to her work, flicking an ear of subtle greeting to keoghan. he'd find a way to assimilate or he'd drown, as with any stranger joining their ranks. either way, walls wouldn't fix themselves.

MAY YOUR FOES BE PLENTY // ──‎ ⋆ MAY YOUR DAYS BE FEW‎ ‎‎ ‎‎☽

• OOC ─
• 
• NIGHTBIRD ───‎ ⋆ SHE/HER, TC LEAD WARRIOR, 40 ☾'s
  

  a small, feathery black smoke molly with one white paw and pale silver eyes. she is mates with RACCOONSTRIPE and has recently left the nursery after raising their five kits; BAYINGPAW, TWILIGHTPAW, TIGERPAW, STORMPAW, and BERRYPAW. nightbird is currently mentoring HONEYPAW and TWILIGHTPAW. her former apprentices include LIGHTSTRIKE †, DUSKBIRD †, and PALEFIRE.​

  ─ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking ↛ battle info
  ─ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[SCARPAW]

A rampant stench of smoke clings to this newcomer's pelt, choking up the whole camp. Scarpaw stands right along with Rosypaw, staring owlishly at Flamestar's newcomer-laden patrol as they shoulder through the brambles, indifferent to the burr in their flanks. Keoghan...a kittypet. Scarpaw peers at him from a distance. He's never seen a kittypet before, not truly. He knows Stormywing and Roaringsun and SkyClanners, but...this cat reeks of Twolegplace, beneath it all. His claws look dull.

These are the cats his father died to protect ThunderClan from. It's Flamestar who lets him in like it's nothing.

Keoghan is a bright-toned cat, a dual-toned orange pelt peeking out from the soot (ironic, he even looks like Flamestar). And—not five minutes in camp and he's already threatening someone! A surge of anger wells on his clanmate's behalf. Scarpaw stalks forward, rankling against that petty smile pressed against Keoghan's face, to stand in solidarity at Rosypaw's shoulder. How...ugh! How rude! He gets invited into their camp to eat their food, and this is the thanks they get?

"Come on," he says to Rosypaw, pale-yellow eyes flickering sideways from Keoghan. "I could ask Dayfern to take you hunting with us. We can...help catch dinner." His mother would rage if she could see what's happening here, but it's Scarpaw's duty to blend in. So he bottles up all his anger behind a neat, poised expression, wary to reveal too much.

i'm also sorry for scarp lol he's a lil jerk, welcome to tc!!! :^D

​

 

[STORMYWING]

Stormywing stands steady despite the storm of emotions swirling in the clearing. Raccoonstripe's tone is sharp, his one-eyed gaze heavy with doubt, but she doesn't flinch. She knew this wouldn't be easy for Keoghan, and certainly not for her. Still, she isn't about to let the lead warrior intimidate her into regret. She's grateful for Flurryjump's cheerful greeting; she's always able to count on the tortoiseshell to lift spirits. "He'll be the next greatest warrior this forest has ever seen," She replies with a lighthearted grin after Keoghan introduces himself.

Her golden eyes flick toward Rosypaw, who bristles with unspoken protest. She knows that look all too well from her own apprenticeship. It's resentment, maybe even fear. Once, she had been the outsider, scorned before she had even set foot in the apprentices' den. She understands, but understanding doesn't mean excusing.

"You're acting like I dragged him here by the scruff," She shoots back at Raccoonstripe, tipping her chin up with a lash of her tail. "I didn't. He wants to be here. And that's gotta count for something." Her gaze shifts toward Keoghan, giving him a slight nod as if to say, Right? "Besides, he's hurt. What do you want him to do, chase a squirrel through the trees with burnt paws?" Still, she concedes to her superior in the end, shrugging her shoulders. "I'll hunt extra. But he will learn, and when he does, he'll be feeding you too."

Then, with a flick of her tail, she turns her attention back to Flurryjump. "Yeah, I think Keoghan could use something to eat." She smiles at her friend before glancing at the kittypet as he returns to their side after making a snide comment to Rosypaw. She sighs and rolls her shoulders back, shaking her head in amused disapproval. "And that is how not to act. Lesson number one. This place is about respect, kid, and you've earned none yet. Remember that, and you'll do fine here." Flicking her tail, she gestures for him to follow her to the fresh-kill pile. "Come on. Eat something before Raccoonstripe decides you don't get a piece."
​

 

[ROSYPAW]

Many things are made clear in rapid succession: Raccoonstripe did not want the kittypet here, the kittypet had no idea what he was getting into, and Stormywing was the cause of everything. Around the soot-shaded pelt of this stranger, Rosypaw's dismayed stare shifts to the smaller warrior. A why? brands itself in a slight grimace of their muzzle. Had he done something mighty and impressive? He wasn't so injured that she could imagine something like that. And since he's well enough to approach them, to stand in their space with unkind eyes and a smile like sharpened claws, whatever injuries he'd sustained couldn't be too severe. And so the question stands: why?

Was it really just because she understood what it was like to be a kittypet? Did she feel bad for all of them? Would she welcome any of them to the forest? Even when he says what he does, the warrior only seems amused. Scarpaw's presence at their side is a welcome reprieve. Stars, if he'd talked to another apprentice like that! Flayedpaw would have snipped right back. But he is nothing if not forgiving, it seems, because he looks sullenly between the warriors but does not a bit else. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be nice. Mudbelly won't mind." They nudge their shoulder into his, and wait until they've tread a few paces off before mimicking, "I will give back the respect you give me," in a dramatic high whisper. "He won't earn it."

ooc:

points at rosy being a literal child

►

rosypaw, young apprentice of thunderclan. afab — she, they, he. only kitten born to alderthroat x barkfoot. ..mentored by mudbelly.

a lean,.. fluffy-tailed chocolate tortoiseshell with high white and spring-green eyes.
endlessly nosy and exceptionally determined, .with intelligence and a tireless drive.
an excellent climber, though otherwise inexperienced and poorly ( barely ) trained.

 

[Copperpaw]

I SEE A DREAMER OVER THERE BY THE WATER

Keoghan | 06 months | male | he/him | physically weak | mentally recovering | attack in bold color

---

Despite being seemingly focused on ending any problems before they began, he had kept an ear out to the conversation behind him and had managed to successfully tune out Scarpaw in order to listen in. Another helping of scorn was nothing new, and whatever they were saying about his arrival would certainly be something to take note of anyway. "You're acting like I dragged him here by the scruff," he hears Stormywing say and his ears perk up a little higher, intent on understanding the situation at hand. "I didn't. He wants to be here. And that's gotta count for something." At that he quiets a little bit, replaying the sentence over in his head. He feels guilty he had ever given that impression in the first place, because although it was true, it felt like a lie.​

I wanted to not die. If another human had picked me up out of the street with a treat in hand, I probably never would have come here, He thought gravely, at once wishing Stormywing would give him less credit but at the same time endlessly thankful someone was here to help him weather the social storm. He continued along his return walk and in that moment made a pledge that from when he became a true part of this group he would stop at nothing to make the most of it. To be worthy of Stormywing's faith, to earn Raccoonstripe's respect, to have friends on every step of the journey. Maybe that would be impossible, and it would certainly be easier said than done, but it felt good to try. Unfortunately, it seemed like he had gotten off to an uneven start, and he bowed his head sheepishly at Stormywing's amused reprimand.

"Right. I guess the best response would have been not saying anything at all, but what's done is done. I'll do better next time." Keoghan said, turning to follow her as she began to move somewhere. Towards food, finally. Before he went on with his day, though, he paused. "Hey, Stormywing? Thanks for sticking up for me. I hope I can prove you right." He murmured, intending only for her to hear. Upon reaching the prey pile, he would fully understand just what he had gotten himself into as a stack of dead animals laid in front of him.

"So, I hope this isn't stupid to ask, but how do I eat any of this? It seems…furry." He remarks, hoping such words didn't sound ungrateful.







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