camp queen of peace — playing a friendly game of chess [ intro ]

[WHITELION]

.make peace with —————————

————————— your broken pieces.

▵ ———————— ◮ ———————— ▵

THE ONE-EYED WARRIOR HUMMED THOUGHTLY, CHIN RESTING LAZILY against his paw, watching intently as the chess pieces shifted with the wind. Glancing up to stare at the darkened sky with a curious frown, wondering what nature would bring them. He had hoped it wouldn’t have been unforgiving like the many storms Whitelion had prowled through during his time as a loner, but one could never mistake the familiar darkening clouds and brutal winds.

I fear there is trouble on the horizon. He thought, helm swerving to move a moss ball diagonally on the elegantly drawn checkered surface despite the harsh ground. A hum rattled his chest, deep and velvety as he glanced up at his opponent, lips curling into a half-grin / half-smirk, chin resting lazily against his paw, singular hue crinkling.

The NPC warrior scowled, staring harshly at the pieces made of bark he’d collected. “It seems we end in a draw, my friend.”

“Care to go again?” He offered with a curious tilt of his helm, grinning softly as the warrior shook their helm, stomping off. “Ah–” He leaned back into his haunches, straightening up. “A shame.” He sighed, leaning forward to place the chess pieces back. His tail flickered, laying curled loosely around massive paws.

“Neither side winning nor losing. An outcome of many.” He mumbled. “One should strive for victory, but only if the pieces permit it.” He hummed. “But one must never underestimate your opponent.” Whitelion glanced up, yellow optic scanning the camp with an inviting swirl of his tail. “Would anyone care to play?”

A game of strategy. A game he loved dearly, but even so, the old brute wouldn’t mind tossing the moss ball around with any willing participants, even if they no longer played chess.

thoughts speech​

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[tansyshine]

Neither side... One should strive for victory... Play- Tansy's nose scrunches up as she picks through the freshkill pile, an ear flicking as she accidentally eavesdrops on mumbling. Crystalkit was... somewhere in the camp, she had left him in the nursery, but she's sure he's being kept at bay by the other cats. Or at least, I hope so. Ice blue eyes do a quick once around the camp, taking a deep breath as she picks out a squirrel and makes her way over to Whitelion.

She wants something to take her thoughts away from the racing mess they have been recently, take her mind away from her kittens, so she gently sets the squirrel at her side as she sits down. She gestures a light paw towards the pieces, tilting her head. "Explain, please?" it's barely audible but it works, and she's not to keen on being talkative right now. Her stomach growls and she decides she'll eat and play at the same time- besides, if its a game, she's sure Crystalkit would want to hear all about it, and how to play.​

"speech"​

 

[marrowroot]

"i could give it a try." he's not exactly sure what any of that is, but he can tell that it's some kind of game. he could gather that you were meant to move the moss balls in a certain way to.. block the other side? is that what was happening? there's a scowl printed on his face, an almost lion-like expression if not for the single snaggle tooth that stuck from his maw. it made him look much less regal than one might think.

examining the playing field, he took in everything, every piece, and then up to examine the two that had settled in around it. the npc warrior, the queen. he knew enough about tansyshine to know she's probably thinking of her kit. "can't promise i'll be any good, but it's something to do, yes?"​

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[Shinebug]

Shinekit was not a strategist. As a matter of fact, it was likely that the little furball didn’t know the meaning of the word. Too many syllables, and all that. Yet for reasons that weren’t too terribly clear, sky-blue eyes had been surveying the match between the warrior and Whitelion, flicking between the board and those assembled around it. It was only when a winner (did it count as a win if it was a draw, but your opponent was being a baby about it? The kit would argue yes) was declared that flame-tinted fur shot forth to get a better look.

He sits beside Tansyshine, tiny head pressed against comfy fur, a propped-up position that was as instinctual to the shaft of sunlight as breathing. It was strange, at this point Shinekit would usually get bored and try to strike up a conversation among the assembled cats, but sky-blue eyes simply stared a hole into the outline of the board.

Shinekit believed he’d grasped the basics, but still couldn’t see the whole picture. Whether his fascination came from the possibility of an unexplored avenue for playtime or a more genuine intrigue for whatever Whitelion was doing was anyone’s guess. “I want to watch” he said simply, features uncharacteristically occupied by thought turning towards the warrior to see if it was okay.​

 

[WHITELION]

make peace with your broken pieces .​

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶​

“Of course!” He beamed at the queen, offering a respectful dip of his helm, shuffling into a more comfortable position.

A singular golden hue landed on Shinekit approaching, wanting to watch. Whitelion hummed in approval, settling down to rest a paw beneath his chin, claws wiggling lethargically. “Eyes of a warrior.” He grinned. “Of course, I expect no less from a lad like yourself.”

He gestured towards the makeshift board, the supposed ‘black’ squares nothing more but divots in the dirt while the ‘white’ squares were boxed in, or remained lines drawn in the dirt by a sharpened claw.

“A two-player game–” He began, head cocked. “One can only move on their respected squares.” He gestured toward the bark ( placed in the divots ) and moss balls ( lined squares ) resting in their respective areas. “The goal is to capture the other’s leader.” He pointed to the marked objects resting in the back row, close to the middle. “Of course, it’s crucial to capture your opponent’s pieces.” He hummed. “The game shall end once your leader is captured by the enemies.”

Wiggling his claws, Whitelion shifted, paw curling elegantly around one of the bark pieces, moving it diagonally into another divot square, moving the moss ball over it. “That is how one captures.” He moved them back, his tail flicking.

The large white-furred brute hummed, sinking deeper into his haunches, singular hue crinkling in mischief. One should never underestimate the enemy. A flashy move may very well end in a loss, but not as pieces but as the very lives we so helplessly cherish. A game of chance and sacrifice. Who must be sacrificed to protect the one you hold dear?

“Lined squares have the advantage of going first.” He gestured towards the moss balls in front of Tansyshine. “Are you ready to begin?” ​

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thought speech​

 

[tansyshine]

Tansy wraps her tail around Shinekit protectively, a low purr rumbling in her throat at the tiny body pressed in to her fur. It elates her, really, to be so liked by him- a kitten, so precious in the world, she nearly zones out until she hears Whitelion's voice. Dutifully she listens, nodding every so often as he explains. "Okay..." she whispers, not sure that she has everything down. Her nose wrinkles as her mind races, and a quiet sigh parts her lips. She's brought back to earth once more as she replays everything in her head.

She turns her head down. "You sure you just want to watch...? You can help me choose, darling." she offers to the kitten warmly, reaching a hesitant paw out to bump one of her moss balls in a diagonal line, hoping the move suffices. "I won't be much good at this," she admits quietly, knowing it has been quite a long time since she had exercised her mind. "But you can choose next space.... Would you like that?" her mouth pulls in a grin as she looks down to Shine besides her. She feels much more animated now that she begins to grasp the concept of the game.​

"speech"​

 

[Shinebug]

Flame-tinted fur couldn’t help but puff out a bit at Whitelion’s compliment. It made the boy feel grown up, even as his body was pressed into Tansyshine’s side. Perhaps queens had a special field around them, the scatterbrain mused, one which drew kits close and subconsciously urged them to snuggle up. Though, as the shaft of sunlight purred quietly against soft fur, he decided that nothing this comfortable could be the result of some dastardly mind-control plot. Clearly, Tansyshine was using her powers for good.

Shinekit came back to earth just in time to hear the very end of Whitelion’s explanation. He was about to ask the warrior to repeat, but bit his tongue instead. If the empty-headed child revealed he hadn’t been paying attention, wouldn’t the older cat be annoyed? Tansyshine too, an anxious mind decided, would be less than pleased at having to waste time. To that end, the extrovert stayed silent, nodding along and preparing to observe the game up close.

Sky-blue eyes displayed no small amount of shock as Tansyshine inadvertently put him in the spotlight, but Shinekit tried to play it cool. “Sure!” He said after a moment, putting on a chipper facade to hide growing panic at the insignificant incident. “I don’t think I’ll be any good, either” the cat chuckled, letting a small portion of the truth through. Shine had watched from afar earlier, so he at least knew how the pieces moved, but any thoughts of strategy or even a goal went completely out the window.

Deciding to improvise, Shinekit picked a piece (practically at random) and made a legal move with it, looking first at Whitelion and then to Tansyshine, grasping desperately for a second opinion.​

 

[WHITELION]

make peace with your broken pieces .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Whitelion watched the two, smiling softly, hue crinkling in warmth as he moved his piece diagonally with a clawed toe. Tapping the ground, chin resting idly against the flat of his paw, feeling the callouses as he shifted. “Very good.” He hummed in appreciation.

He felt a twinge of homesickness, not for who he once was, but for the mate he had left behind, albeit she had died of sickness long before he joined Thunder. No matter how long it has been, it still felt raw, untouchable unless he wished to burn.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Whitelion rumbled. “Fear not.” He began, tone languid. “I was not good at this either when I first began.” He chuckled, remembering the several attempts to bring this game to life. It had taken some serious dedication, but White was never one to back down from a challenge.

“Even warriors make mistakes.” His head tilted, staring at the bored with a calm expression, clawed toe-tapping his bottom lip.

“Perhaps I can guide you two through. I know how talking can be boring.” He curled his tail, leaning forward. He’d never been one to learn with speech, preferring to get his paws dirty as he learned the ins and outs—analyzing. “Think of it as a practice run.” ​

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thought speech​

 

[leopardtongue]

☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── | Games were no Leopardtongue's forte, especially since it seemed as though there were more being made every day within ThunderClan. She knew of some games that were still played, of course, but when someone got creative, she was suddenly at a loss of what to do, which made her glad that Whitelion had offered to explain the game to those that had asked. She had been listening in for a little bit before Tansyshine and Shinekit began to play, which was when the rosette feline began to make her way over.

Looking towards the board this close, she was confused. It seemed like such an intricate game. "How do you keep the rules all straight in your head?" She would ask, head tilting to the side as soon as she did so, nose wrinkled in thought. The pieces too, there were so many. How had Whitelion not lost them all by now?​

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