WE'RE ALL CREATURES OF THE SUNLIGHT | open & intro

[ASPENPAW_]

( ♬ ) A soft breeze rolls through camp, ruffling through Aspenkit's fur as she idly bats at a fallen leaf. Though she doesn't know exactly what's been going on lately, it seems like everyone has been on edge, and it's left her feeling slightly unsettled as well. There had been some sort of attack recently, a new threat, and while Aspenkit has few details, it's still left her thinking. She's not quite old enough to be an apprentice yet, sure, but it's certainly approaching that time, and Aspenkit is worried about her apprenticeship in a way that she hasn't ever been before. There are certain things that she's come to expect from becoming an apprentice, and eventually a warrior - hunting, fighting, exploring - and these are all things she's prepared to learn. Aspenkit is excited to be able to help out her clan, she really is, but she's not sure how to handle these recent developments. Maybe everybody else just knows more about this stuff than she does, but she's pretty sure that a lot of other cats seemed pretty frazzled lately. If they don't know better than she does, how is she supposed to learn how to deal with unexpected stuff like this?

Finally, Aspenkit bats the leaf away, just out of reach. It's not very productive sitting around and worrying, she's decided - she might as well find something useful to do with her time than just sitting around swatting at leaves all day. Truthfully, there isn't exactly a lot for her to be doing, since she's not an apprentice yet, but maybe she could...practice her hunting form? Aspenkit's ears perk up at the idea - that's something useful, for sure! Even if she's still a kit today, she's not going to be a kit forever, and she's sure it'd be helpful to start practicing before she officially becomes an apprentice. She knows that WindClan warriors pride themselves on being fast enough to catch up to prey without stalking, especially since their territory is so open, but she has to admit it's fun pretending she's sneaking up on her prey. Aspenkit drops low to the ground, trying to keep her tail low as she waits, checking the direction of the wind. Once she's satisfied her leaf won't see her coming, she strikes, leaping forward to land right up on the leaf. Her claws sink in, crunching the leaf into the ground, and she gives a satisfied hum as she observes her work. Sure, her form isn't anything great, but she's still proud that she managed to learn anything at all from watching apprentices around camp.
​

( WE'RE ALL JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING ☾ )

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

PERFECT LITTLE PUNCHING BAG​

periwinklekit | 02 months | demi-boy | he/they | physically easy (pacifist) | mentally easy | attack in bold #ccccff​

---

Peri watches his sister with something soft in his pale violet gaze, from what he has come to think of as his spot at the edge of the nursery, where he can just crouch and watch the goings on without leaving the safety the shelter offers in the otherwise wide open camp. Aspenkit seems much more eager to be an apprentice than he himself is - he doesn't want to leave moonshadow's nest, doesn't want to worry about all the things the adults do, doesn't want to have to fight. He's seen the other kits play fight, claws unsheathed and scraps and bums not all that uncommon, and it sets his fur on edge. He's seen more blood and death these days than any kit should - but that's his fault he supposes, he's the one who's broken.

The crunch of a leaf underpaw has his attention returning from his painful thoughts to his sisters catch, a bright smile of pearly white fangs slipping onto his face. "g-g-g-good cat-ch!" he manages to stammer out, feelings of adoration and admiration bubbling up in his chest. He slips to his paws with a soft whine, limbs popping and cracking from disuse, as he pads closer, keen to join in the fun. "I b-bet the leaf d-d-d-din' even s-see you c-oming," he jokes cheerfully.

 

[SOOTSTAR]

Despite having children of her own, it was a hit or miss on how Sootstar interacted with them. Sometimes she held the patience, sometimes she did not... Regardless of the day, however, she always tried to at least put up a positive front for them. Tried to greet them with purrs and smile, they would be the next generation of WindClan one day after all, and they deserved the best.

She smiles to both the leaf huntress and Periwinklekit before grabbing a different stray leaf in her own maw. As another breeze blows through, she lets the leaf go to be carried by the wind.

"Again." Sootstar instructs to either of the children, but this time their target was the moving, airborne leaf. A significant increase in challenge, but Sootstar had faith they could do it. ​

---

Spoiler: TAGS ★ 10/19

( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )​

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her
╰ ‣ 31 moons . pisces. ages on the first
╰ ‣ windclan leader . marsh-born . believes in starclan
╰ ‣ former soldier of the marsh group

╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,
· DOMESTIC FELINE, smells like heather and wet dirt , status — 100%
╰ ‣ blue smoke . scarred chest, difficult to see through fur . green eyes

╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,
· ESTJ-A ❝ EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Slytherin, Lawful Evil
╰ ‣ Cunning, brash, fierce, confident, self-reliant, envious & selfish
╰ ‣ finds great difficulty in relating to others . can be cruel, usually shows mercy to those she can find sympathy with

╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,
· SOOT CLAW x PEBBLE BREEZE, sister to Pebblenose
╰ ‣ heterosexual. romantically interested in Weaselclaw
╰ ‣ mother to owlpaw & shrikepaw
╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.

 

[ASPENPAW_]

( ♬ ) Ears prick as she hears Periwinklekit;s praise, and Aspenkit grins back at him. She knows that her brother doesn't always feel well these days and that he so often seems more tired than he should, so seeing him up and about, even just for a short walk around camp, makes her happy. He still seems tired, stiff, she notes, but there's really not anything she can do to help with that. "If it were real prey it probably would've, but leaves are real easy to catch. D'you want to play too?" Aspenkit asks, tilting her head slightly. As she shakes bits of crushed leaves off of her paws, she adds, "I can find you another leaf or something."

As she begins to scan the ground for another good leaf, Sootstar approaches, and Aspenkit straightens up ever so slightly. It's not that it's that uncommon of a sight to see their leader around camp, but Aspenkit wants to look at least a little bit dignified in front of the molly. Sure, it's not like Sootstar is going to be impressed by her batting around a leaf, but she can at least try her best to keep up a good form. As she grabs a nearby leaf, Aspenkit blinks, and then it's fluttering in the breeze, up above her head. She takes a beat to process her leader's command - again - and then one more to glance at Perwinklekit, trying to gauge whether or not he's going to react, before she focuses her gaze back up on the leaf.

Her limbs slide down into a crouch - she's going to have to make quite the leap in order to reach the leaf fluttering in the breeze - and with a running start, Aspenkit launches herself into the air, paws outstretched before her. For one moment, she hangs in the air, and then the next her claws just barely brush the underside of the leaf and she's falling back to the ground. She lands in an unceremonious heap on the ground (for all her thoughts of catching the leaf, she had neglected to worry about a proper landing) and lets out huff. She had missed the leaf! Well, more accurately she hadn't been able to reach the leaf. Chagrined, Aspenkit hops back to her paws and shakes her pelt out, turning to face Sootstar. "I can get it - I know I can! I just need to practice some more..." she trails off, shuffling her paws. At least now she has another thing to focus on - that's helpful, right? And if she works hard enough, she'll be able to jump that high for sure!​

( WE'RE ALL JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING ☾ )

 

[hyacinthbreath]

"It will come with time, young one." Hyacinthbreath reassures Aspenkit as she walks over, having been talking to a patrol that was leaving for a hunt beforehand. Her tail flicks behind her, fur ruffled by the soft, cool breeze around them. She watches the leaf climb higher into the sky once more, much higher now. Like a free bird, it dipped and swirled and twisted. She watches it, violet eyes shining in the sun- tiredly blinking as it finally hits the ground.

Her attention turns back to the two kits, gesturing for the two of them to come closer. "Shall I show you the proper crouch, then?"​

 

[ASPENPAW_]

( ♬ ) Aspenkit looks up at Hyacinthbreath's words and finds herself nodding her head, almost out of habit. Even if it does take a lot of time, she won't give up until she's the best jumper in the whole clan! Well, maybe not in the whole clan, but she would at least try to master the skill to the best of her ability, if only to be able to say that she did it. Distracted by her thoughts, Aspenkit doesn't notice the leaf being picked back up by the breeze until it's risen up, up so high that she can't imagine anybody ever reaching it, until it begins its descent once more. She glances at those gathered around her, wondering if she's supposed to try to catch it again, but she eventually decides against it - after all, it probably won't turn out any different than the first attempt, since she hasn't had any time to figure out how to jump higher.

As Hyacinthbreath gestures to them and offers to teach them a proper hunting crouch, Aspenkit's eyes light up. While she's seen other cats, mostly apprentices, practicing their hunting forms, she's never really known how to do it the right way - she always figured that was something she had to be an apprentice to learn. But, if Hyacinthbreath is offering, then that must mean it's alright for her to learn now; maybe it has something to do with her upcoming apprenticeship, or maybe it was always an option that Aspenkit simply never pursued. Either way, she nods emphatically and draws near to the lead warrior. "Oh, yes please! I'd love to learn!" she responds excitedly, before turning to glance at Periwinklekit. Surely he would want to join in, too!​

( WE'RE ALL JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING ☾ )

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

PERFECT LITTLE PUNCHING BAG​

periwinklekit | 02 months | demi-boy | he/they | physically easy (pacifist) | mentally easy | attack in bold #ccccff​

---

Peri is a bit to slow - his gaze locks onto the leaf, but then aspenkit is leaping, and he stops. Sootstar hadn't said who had to catch it after all - and it was his sisters game they'd interrupted. Watching er tumble with a wince, the taller tom goes to give her a consoling nudge, attention quickly turning to hyacinthbreath as the warrior arrives. Her offer intrigues him, and he finds himself quietly nodding along to his sisters exclamations. "Th-that'd be g-g-g-great," he stammers out, pale gaze warm and wide in curiosity. He spares sootstar one more brief glance - she is their leader after all - before turning his focus onto hya, attentive.