camp PALMS FULL OF PENNIES [✦] summer storm

[Bluepool]

Today is the type of day that a cat didn't want to be outside for. The dark clouds gather in the sky, blocking out the sun and casting the moors in shadows. At any moment they promise to release their burden onto the unsuspecting cats bellow. If Bluepool could help it she would not have been out on such a day, but despite the threat of bad weather the clan still needed to be fed. It is an agonizing day for multiple different reasons. First being that while they were out she had only managed to catch one scrawny hare before the downpour started and all the prey had gone running for their nests. If she was willing to brave the tunnels such a thing would not be a problem but alas, it was not a feat she was willing to make. Instead she heads back with her patrol, fur heavy with the water that soaked it and curses upon her lips.

After dropping her measly prey onto the fresh kill pile she retreats into one of the dens that cats only find shelter in during weather like this. "It's really coming down out there" she grunts to whoever resides in the shadows of the burrow, her eyes still adjusting to the dim light. She shakes her pelt out, droplets flying everywhere and likely hitting others. When that is finished she settles into a steady grooming rhythm.

Outside, thunder and lightning caused by the heat crack against the sky and it causes a shiver to run down her spine. "How long do we think this will keep up for?" she asks during a pause in her efforts to dry herself.

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[Badgermoon]

Bluepool's return is proclaimed by a spray of droplets, sinking swiftly into Badgermoon's half-dried coat. His yellow eyes shot up to rest on Sootstar's sister as she spoke about the weather, some amusement sparking there at her indignation. He couldn't blame her - he himself had also gotten caught in the rain, and been forced to cut his patrol short, for fear of being struck by lightning or simply washed away. Badgermoon opened his mouth to respond, only for thunder to splinter through the air with a deafening rumble. He winced as the sound throbbed against his ears before giving a small huff. "I don't know, but I hope it quits soon. I've had quite enough already." the bicolor tom rasped his tongue along his coat a few times, trying to remove the water she'd splashed onto him, before continuing. "Though I suppose it's better than the winds."

He sniffed, thinking he caught the scent of prey on her, and blinked in surprise - and approval. "You caught something in this? Nice job. I would've thought all the prey was long gone, under the ground."​

 

[HOLLYPAW---]

☽༺♰༻☾​

thunder boomed overhead, the day seemed cut short by dark clouds that flooded the sun. the skies were angry, starclan must be angry. perplexed, hollypaw sat at the nape of the burrow where some of her clanmates sought shelter. however, only her tail would flow into the cover. the majority of her body was positioned to take on the brunt of the storm, her eyes narrow upwards as droplets pelt her face.

what had they done to anger the gods? could there be any other explanation to why water flew from the sky in bullets? hollypaw was pensive as she chewed the inside of her cheek, trying to decipher this otherworldly message.

someone else sought out the small oasis, however. bluepool entered, and the apprentice dutifully edged to the side to allow the lead warrior more room. she didn't seem too concerned about it, instantly falling into a rhythm of chatter with the deputy. hollypaw decided to give her investigation a rest, she was growing quite cold after all. instead, she listened to the conversation at play, eyes dipping low as badgermoon declared this better than the winds. the winds that were a gift, his clan's namesake. she bit her tongue, that was hardly a topic for these close of quarters. instead, she would contribute to the banal discussion of the weather. "will it rain like this all season?"
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[GRAVELSNAP]

Gravelsnap hates the rain. They hate the feeling of their pelt plastered with water, the way that it sticks up at odd angles when they attempt to groom themself. Many cats seem to wish to huddle together in the shelter that the den provides, but the young warrior has tucked themself neatly into the den, well away from anyone who may shift too close. They had been out on a patrol when the sky had opened up, and their immediate irritation had been soothed only by Badgermoon deciding to cut the patrol short entirely. Now they sit nearby the deputy, eel-black tail pressed wrapped around ivory paws in an attempt to make themself smaller. The rain pounding down outside isn’t terrible so long as they aren’t in it, but the flashes of lightning and the booming of thunder drives their ears flat against their skull.

Bluepool enters the den with a spray of water from her pelt—which is rather rude, they think with a frown—and comments on the rain. She asks how long they think it will keep up for, and the deputy responds with hope that the answer is soon. Gravelsnap also hopes that it will end soon, a grimace curling across their muzzle. "The rain is annoying," they supply, one dark ear flicking for emphasis.

Hollypaw asks whether it will rain all season, and that brings an even deeper scowl to their face. "If it does, I’m becoming a tunneler," he declares, though sarcasm is thick in the tone of his voice. He’d once dreamed of being a tunneler, of being better than just the average warrior—now, though, the darkness, the depths, bring nothing but anxiety. The only good thing about the tunnels is that they provide shelter from relentless rainstorms such as this one.​

[ you put the fun into dysfunction ]​

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[VENOMSTRIKE]

( ) Feeling droplets of water hit his dry coat while he was curled up was enough to make Venomstrike lift his head where it rested only to hear the roar of thunder splintering through the skies. It was enough to make the fur along his neck rise but focused on the others within their refuge and would listen to what everyone had said, he would rise slowly and sit up to start smoothing down his fur. He listened to what Gravelsnap said about becoming a tunneler if the weather was always this nasty though the sarcasm in their voice made it known to him that they weren't serious about it. Rattleheart came to mind at the mention of tunnelers and this was enough to make a small smile form itself on his maw as he continued to dry and smooth his coat, he could never be a tunneler due to how big he was. That kind of role requires someone small and lithe much like his dear friend, Rattleheart, and the more that he thought about it made him appreciative of them.

Venomstrike admittedly liked the smell of rain though probably not getting caught in it and he didn't quite like how loud thunder tended to be or cats potentially getting struck by lightning. That itself was terrifying. The faint smell of hare that lingered on Bluepool's pelt was enough to make his nose twitch and he would say quietly "Nice catch," The scent being rather muddled with the smell of wet fur, his eyes going over to the mouth of the burrow and added after clearing his throat "I hope it doesn't rain like this all season... I doubt it would," He was no expert in storms but it wouldn't do them any good if it kept raining like this, his eyes half closed as the smell of the downpour wafted into his nose though his eyes opened wide when another roar of thunder broke out as if trying to louder than the rain. ​

( ME GUSTA LA MAÑANA; ME GUSTAS TÚ )

 

[RATTLEHEART]

There was a cruel sort of irony, hearing Gravelsnap talk about how they would need to become a tunneler if the rain kept up. It was true that the tunnels mostly protected those inside from the awful downpour that was coming down in sheets out in the moors, but it wasn't total protection. That much was obvious from the state of Rattleheart as she came padding into camp, ears flat against her head and her flanks drenched even more than the rest of her. Down in the tunnels, she hadn't been able to hear or see the warning signs of the storm until the skies had already opened up, soaking the moors and letting water run down into the very paths she had been patrolling.

Thankfully, she had made it out before any of the tunnels filled up too significantly, but it had still been an unpleasant experience. Padding her way through ankle-high puddles as she had made her way back home, she at least ended up emerging with a significant catch. A plump mouse that had ended up fleeing into the tunnels, just as eager to get away from the rain, only to end up scampering straight into Rattleheart's waiting claws. That was the one good thing about the rain - it made the prey predictable.

Shaking herself out as soon as she was once again within the boundaries of camp, she also sought shelter in the burrows that the others had made their temporary home in. A heavy sigh left her around the mouse in her jaws, dropping the piece of prey down at her paws as she settled down beside Venomstrike. "Anyone want a mouse that hasn't been totally soaked by the rain? It was all I managed to get before I couldn't stay down there any longer." She was eager to press her side against Venomstrike's, soaking up the moor runner's warmth and hopefully drying herself off in the process. At least she had the decency to offer him an apologetic smile for essentially using him as a towel, before looking towards Gravelsnap. "I wish being a tunneler let us not have to worry about the rain." She was certain that Scorchstreak felt the same way, wherever her sister was... hopefully not also stuck in the storm.
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[ PENNED BY EO ]​

 

[Juniperpaw]

"You look like a half-soaked mouse yourself, Rattleheart," Juniperpaw quips with a friendly grin. "I'll take it if no one else is hungry."

The young tomcat is lounging with his front paws dangling in the rain while the rest of his body is pressed near his sister. Juniperpaw likes to be close to his siblings, even if the sentiment is not shared. That is what he misses the most about leaving the nursery; no more spending all day in the nest surrounded by the warm press of his family. Although it's only been a moon or so since the start of his apprenticeship, Juni is growing rapidly. He is at the stage where his ears are a little too large and his paws too heavy. His legs seem a little long and his torso a little too stretched out. He hopes this phase doesn't last forever, because he's tired of looking like a weird lanky cat-deer.

"Rain isn't so bad," he says, trying to lighten everyone's spirits. "It's better than a drought. And when it's gone there will be plenty of food for our prey, right Bluepool?" He looks to his mentor to see what she thinks. Personally, Juniperpaw can handle being a little soggy for a few days if it means the clan didn't have to go hungry later on in the season.​

 

[FROSTPAW.]

Frostkit had been playing when the storm first rolled in, and whereas most would have made a beeline for the nursery, he had simply sat and observed. Heavy, fat droplets pattered upon his hide. Whenever it touched his ears or his whiskers they would twitch involuntarily, like a quick two-step to get away from it. He'd found it enthralling. He hadn't known enough to be scared at the time. There was something instinctual that he ignored. That little thrill of worry as the sky greyed and rumbled like a large, hungry belly. Eventually he'd moved to the mouth of this den to observe without the rain continually thumping down upon his sensitive ears. Still, it wasn't until Badgermoon had returned and ushered him away from the storm that he had really gotten out of it. Now he was tucked mostly dry and warm off towards the side of the den nearest his father. From here he could still see outside some, but not quite enough.

Unthinkingly, and certainly not having asked permission, the black and white tom attempted to scramble atop Badgermoon, seeking a perch on his father's shoulder. "Did you guys see the worms come up? They were all over the place when it got muddy. Mom says it's not good to get caught in the tunnels when it's raining like this– do worms know that too?" He doesn't expect anyone here to know the answer, really– except Rattleheart, who now has his rapt attention as he waits for a response.

＞ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES REFERENCE 06.03.2023 〙ˊˎ＜

• ooc: —

• 

• frostkit. named for his coloration, and in memory of tigerfrost.
  —— amab nonbinary, he - him - his; will soon add they - them. kit of windclan.
  —— badgermoon x scorchstreak. sibling to rumblekit, luckykit, and scorchkit.
  
  frostkit is remarkably average, all things considered. he is of the expected size and shape, if perhaps a little blockier with his father's influence. his black and white pelt is short and scruffy, and his eyes are the expected kitten blue, if a shade lighter than what is typical.

• "speech"

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[RUMBLERAIN]

"They'd have to, Frostkit, otherwise they'd drown." Rumblekit explains matter-of-factly, completely unaware of whether or not there's any truth to their words. The word drown sounds right though, snatched from the older WindClanners when talking about the river-cats a ways away. They flop down beside the deputy, rolling over onto their back briefly - and then over again, coating their black-and-white fur in a fine layer of dusty soil. Briefly, they think about doing so outside, but promptly banish the idea; Scorchstreak's wrath and the threat of a bath would not be worth it.

"Why's it raining so much, anyway?" Their question is posed towards any of the older WindClanners clustered in the shelter of the den. They've seen rain showers, sure, but nothing like this. It's as if the sky wanted to fill up all the holes in WindClan's camp with water ... or maybe all their tunnels, like Frostkit might think.

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[Bluepool]

It seems that this burrow was much more crowded than Bluepool had first expected and she almost lets out a huff of annoyance at the thought. Why couldn't I have picked one that didn't contain literally half the clan? She wonders to herself. Most annoying was the number of kits in here, children running underfoot just asking to get stepped on. But they are of Badgermoon's brood so perhaps it is to be expected that they would be near and dear to their father. Like chicks following around a mama hen. "Of course I did" she says, her chest rumbling with a deep purr stemming from the pride she feels. She was one of the best moor runners out there after all! "I just hope the fresh kill pile doesn't turn into a soggy mess" that would do no one any good... "If I wanted a soggy mouse I would have stayed in the marshes HA" could you imagine Bluepool? In ShadowClan? She herself couldn't think of such a thing. Even the idea of it was revolting. Mud in between her toes and no open fields to race across... That would be whatever the opposite of StarClan was to her.

"Nah not all season" she says in response to the many inquiries. "I've seen quite a few Green-Leafs and let me tell ya you'll be wishing for the rain before long" she says with a sharp laugh. It was already miserably hot but at least the rain cooled down their fevered pelts a little bit. Some cats say that they would have to become tunnelers soon if the rain kept up. "Nah tunnels flood in this type of weather" she informs with a shudder "I wouldn't wanna be trapped down there with that much water. Stars, I dont want to be trapped down there in general. You'd catch me as dead as fresh-kill before you catch me in a tunnel" all the mice in the territories still wouldn't be enough to ever convince her to venture into one of those death traps.

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