Ooooky, spooky skeletons.... The creepiest, crawliest month of the year coincides with a handful of updates for the site. October heralds the winner of the art raffle, the launch of our DA group and first art contest, OTM winners and new nomination categories, new weather events, additional battle rules and new battle buddy stat, and our monthly plot upate and patrols! For more information, check out the October Announcemets. Have a fun and safe ooky-spooky month everyone!
The Apostles is a warrior cats roleplay based in northern Wisconsin. On Lake Superior, the wild cats have made the Apostle Islands their home. It is on these islands - Rocky Island and South Twin Island - that the clan and tribe cats have lived in a peace and harmony that ebbs and flows with the tide.
But as the tides turn, so does the truce that binds them to one another; and as the water raises, a darkness follows, an evil that will end in bloodshed and violence.
i'll reach higher than anybody has ever known and one day i'll touch the stars
Moth breathed a sigh of relief as her paws touched the solid ground of the Island Where Fish Leaps. The shallows surrounding the island were gentle and muddy. Her paws sunk several inches into the wet mud as Moth pulled herself up the small ridge that separated the shoreline from the water. Her green eyes cast behind her, looking to the rest of the patrol following her. She counted them: Creek, Swoop, and Maple. Nodding to herself, Moth made her way a few pawsteps inland to give them room to join her on land.
The swim between the main island and the island Where Fish Leaps was a relatively short swim. Easy for new To-Bes who might not be so confident in swimming and a short dip for experienced tribemembers. Moth had no doubt the rest of her patrol could easily make the swim - but one never could be too sure.
Never let it be said that Moth was not cautious. The she cat wagged her plumed tail a few times to get rid of the excess water as she observed her surroundings. The clouds were overcast, making it slightly difficult to see very far, and the lack of sunlight made it seem like dusk instead of mid morning. The Head Prey-Hunter opened her mouth and drew in a deep breath. The air was thick with humidity, a promise of rain on the horizon. With the way the wind was blowing and the colour of the clouds, Moth guessed they had at least an hour before the rain began.
"We have some time before the rain starts." She reported to Creek. "Should be plenty of time for us to finish up our business here before we head back. Still, we should keep an eye on the water. A storm could move in quickly if we don't pay attention." She nodded her head towards the open water beyond the island.
- shall we stick by each other as long as we live? -
Swoop followed closely behind Moth Guided by Fireflies. He was always a quick swimmer and he had to force himself to slow down as to let Moth keep the lead. The swim from the main island to the Stone Where Fish Leaps was without challenges as far as he was concerned. As they ascended the shore, Swoop of Hunting Eagle found himself standing directly beside Moth, stopping where she had stopped and following her lead to make room for the others. It was subconscious, but he realized how close they were and awkwardly side-stepped over a few paces.
Sighing as his body relaxed from the swim, he began to vigorously shake his pelt, stopping when he heard Moth start to speak. The first thing she mentioned was how much time they had before it would rain. Quizzically, Swoop looked up at the sky and realized she was right. The clouds were gray and appeared very full, it would definitely rain soon. If the tide rose and a storm hit, it would be a risk of losing their prey and any herbs that Creek had found on the island.
We should work efficiently, Swoop decided, lifting his lips to suck in the scents carried to him by the wind. He walked ahead of the rest of the patrol, pacing back and forth a few times as he took it all in. He could only really smell birds and some stale scents of other animals. Hunting birds was no walk in the camp, but between the three - maybe four - of them, they would be able to take back a decent haul.
"Seagulls, water birds, smaller tree-dwelling birds. Might wanna watch out for hawks. We'll probably find prey close to the shore," He reported with a wave of his orange tail, looking back at the others. "Anyone picking up on anything else?" he knew he wasn't the best tracker ever, so it was perfectly reasonable to think he had missed something.
He'd leave the final say up to Moth on how they were to proceed and would follow along with her, no complaints.
The weather had been questionable to begin with when the group set out for their patrol. Like any sensible cat, Maple would rather have stayed hunkered down in her nest to wait for the storm to break, but she knew that wasn't really an option. The Tribe needed to eat. They couldn't just go hungry because Maple didn't feel like getting up and going on patrol. Besides, the teller was joining them which made her feel like her patrol was just that much more important.
Dutifully, she followed the rest of her patrol, staying to the rear of the patrol. The swim that used to make her nervous as a to-be was practically the same as walking a path for her now that she was older and more experienced. Still, she was relieved when her paws reached down to strike relatively solid ground. Pulling her paws from the sucking mud, she made her way to shore and gave her pelt a quick shake. When Moth mentioned the coming rain, she glanced anxiously up at the sky. Storms could make the water unpredictable for their swim back and the last thing Maple wanted was to get stuck away from camp while they waited for the waters to calm again. Yet worrying didn't catch any prey and she knew she had to focus to get their job done so they could return safely home.
She nodded thoughtfully as Swoop listed off the prey he could scent nearby. Birds, she huffed internally. Birds were difficult prey, often requiring more than one prey hunter to bring down. What a pain. "Lots of land dwelling prey is probably hunkered down to stay out of the rain," she mused aloud. They could always search but they might find easier pickings going after birds. "We could always try our luck with the fish in the shallows and inland streams too." She turned her gentle amber gaze to Moth for the final decision.
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to make many ripples" -Mother Teresa
The whistling of the colder hair caused Creek's fur to stand on end some as he followed in the middle of the hunting patrol that Moth had gathered. He had personally requested to come. For one it had been a long time since he had been out of the camp, especially to hunt but also he had noticed with the recent cough that was going through the tribe he was running low on several herbs. He frowned to himself and flicked his ears some. Some cats suffered more than coughs, chills and aches that seemed to have no source. Right off the top of his head he knew of three things he needed to try to find: Burdock, Coltsfoot, and Borage Leaves. He wasn't sure if it would help any but he had to start somewhere.
As they crossed the lake to the Island Where Fish Leap, Creek glanced up at the sky as he pulled himself to the shore and flicked himself quickly. Water had never really bothered him, as he had once been a hunter himself and fishing had come almost naturally to him. "Must be just part of who the Tribe of endless life destined you to." His heart ached mildly as Rain's, the previous teller, voice echoed through his head. That had been one of his first hunting patrols as a to-be and he had brought back a trout nearly as big as himself (which wasn't hard to do at that age).
He snapped himself out of his reminiscing when he heard the others start discussing the best possibilities when it came to hunting. The birds would take more than one set of paws, and with an odd number that would be hard. Glancing at the sky again he frowned a bit. "Maple has a good idea with the fish," he commented lightly, "They'll be attracted to the surface due to the moisture in the air, while the birds not so much. However the fish won't last as long and another patrol will need to be sent out again soon."
He looked over at Moth and flicked his ears back in embarrassment. He had been a prey-hunter before but Moth was the head of the prey-hunter, thus already knew all this information. "B-but the decision is yours, Moth. I um, I am going to see what I can gather as far as herbs. If I finish I will gladly come help hunt, but I can't guarantee how long finding the herbs will take. I won't wander too far," he said before flicking his ears and starting off smelling the air for the familiar scents. It seemed the Borage leaves would be closer, and he recalled a patch of Coltsfoot growing near by as well. Should be a simple search for herbs. And who knows maybe he could find something else out and about while he was looking.
Tagged: canarycatalystaRaven~ Word Count: 474 Notes: If someone wants to help him, he wouldn't oppose lol
i'll reach higher than anybody has ever known and one day i'll touch the stars
Moth waited patiently as Swoop and Maple made their assessment of the area. She trusted her hunter's opinions as much as her own. She knew that they could sometimes pick up things that she missed and had experience she did not. Moth always made sure to ask for their opinions before they started a hunt.
With their assessments in mind, Moth considered their options carefully. She looked up at the sky and saw all the birds were flying low - a sure sign of an incoming storm. Sea birds, such as a the gull, usually returned to their roosts when they felt rain coming. Trapping a bird in its nest made for an easy hunt, and offered the opportunity to raid nests for their eggs as well. To confirm her suspicions, Moth perked her ears for the sound of frog song. Sure enough, the amphibians were singing a high pitched and long notes - yet another sign of the weather.
She considered the pattern of movements she knew so well from the animals. "We will head to higher ground. Follow the woodland animals and head them off before they can make it into their burrows. Keep an ear out for nesting birds - they will likely be returning to their nest to stay out of the rain. Maybe if we're lucky, we can pick up some eggs as well." Moth decided firmly. She nodded her head at the small spattering of trees at the center of the island. "That way, we can all stay within shouting distance of one another in case of trouble. Swoop, Maple, you two stay towards the tree line and keep your eyes peeled for anything that moves. I'll go further in with Creek and help him with his herbs."
Truth be told, Moth had alternative motives to branching off with Creek. A conversation between them was long over due. Turning more ways inland, Moth set off at a steady pace. As they reached the treeline, her sensitive ears could already begin to catch the sound of faint rustling of movement. At the edge of the trees, she cast a glance at her two hunters. "Shout if you need anything! And keep an eye on the water!" She advised them before she slipped into the darkness of the trees.
Alone with Creek, Moth took a moment to think of what to say. "I' would try to keep an eye out for herbs too, if I knew what they looked like." She meowed to break the silence between them.
- shall we stick by each other as long as we live? -
The rest of the patrol was quick to follow Swoop up with their own feedback, of which he listened intently. He nodded to Maple in agreement when she mentioned trying to hunt fish instead of land animals, the latter of which he doubted were in high quantities on the littler islands. When Creek verbalized his own agreeance with Maple's suggestion, the idea became even more solidified. Swoop liked having Creek around; he was more experienced and knew what he was talking about.
They all looked expectantly to the leader of the patrol, Moth, who served Swoop and Maple their task to hunt as a pair and then wandered off in another direction with Creek, disappearing in the shadows of the trees. Swoop was a bit surprised at the sudden divergence, having fully expected to hunt as a group of three or even four.
The ginger tom watched them go and then finally looked over at Maple. His gaze softened and he realized it had sounded like she wanted to fish instead of stalk birds. He could go for that. It sounded much better than beating mice to their burrows, at least.
"So, Maple," he mewed quietly, a slight smile on his lips as he stepped closer to her so they were side-by-side, "would you like to go fishing?" He cocked his head to the side with a playful expression, knowing full well it was the one thing that had not been on Moth's list of instructions.
"I don't think Moth will be upset with us if we catch something. Then, we'll get her some eggs because I can always find some. Come on," He said casually and padded towards a cove on the water that looked to be a good spot for fishing. He wasn't lying, either. Eggs were his favorite thing to hunt for.
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to make many ripples" -Mother Teresa
Creek looked up in mild surprise as Moth followed after him ordering the others to go hunt. He flicked his ears and tail a bit before recollecting himself and turning his nose back to the scents around him. He continued to look around before Moth spoke and admitted she could help more if she knew what to look for.
"Oh right," he murmured. Sometimes he forgot that not all the cats knew the scents or looks of certain herbs. Most knew basics but this was more advanced than your typical scratch or sore throat. "Borage leaves are fuzzy leaves with pink or blue flowers," he explained trying his best to find an easy way to describe what he was looking for, "And the flowers look like stars. I just need the leaves and as many of them as you can hold would be nice."
He continued to looked around occasionally glancing back where the others had gone. Moth was never one to pass on a hunt, so something was on the Head prey-hunters mind. He kept looking a moment longer before lifting his head and looking over at the she-cat flicking his tail. "You and I both know having three hunting would be better than two," he said softly, not accusingly but wanted her to feel comfortable. He faintly remembered training along side her, before he was whisked away by Rain. He trusted his two leaders, but he wondered if they trusted him at times.
Word Count: 243 Tagged: canary Notes: Yes...he does actually wonder that lol
i'll reach higher than anybody has ever known and one day i'll touch the stars
Moth sniffed the air half-heartedly for any prey scents, but all her attention was really on Creek. He was a difficult one to figure out. Since he stepped into power as the Stoneteller, Moth had been looking forward to working with him. Sure, she missed Rain as much the rest of the Tribe but Creek had his own merits. He was young and obviously talented. From what Moth had witnessed, she easily trusted him with the Tribe's future. He had a little growing up to do, but she was hopeful.
The she cat turned an ear to his description of the herb he was looking for. She could vaguely recall seeing the flowers all across the islands. She nodded her head at Creek but continued on her half-assed efforts to stay on task.
A silence fell between the two of them and Moth was itching to end it. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, Creek chimed up behind her. She perked up at his voice but immediately cringed away at his words. She felt guilty for leaving Swoop and Maple like that. She knew she should be putting all her effort into finding food for her tribemates, but there was something more pressing on her mind.
"Listen, Creek." Moth started, turning to look at the tom properly. "I think we should talk. You've been the Stoneteller for a while and I know I started as the Head Prey-Hunter under Rain. I just wanted to let you know, I wouldn't be offended if you choose a different Head Prey-Hunter. Ancestors know, I'm not the best hunting in the tribe. And I know I don't have the experience some of the other hunters have." She stopped to catch her breath. Her ears were pinned to her skull with her self-consciousness. "I guess I just want you to know I wouldn't take it personally. We haven't exactly... clicked. Maybe you would benefit from a Head Prey-Hunter you were more familiar with."
Maple nodded at Moth's instructions and watched the lead prey hunter follow Creek deeper into the trees. She hadn't put much thought into where she was going to go before Swoop came up beside her and asked if she wanted to fish. It wasn't what Moth had told them to do, but he did have a point. As long as they caught something she couldn't really get upset. Besides, the playful smile on the other hunter's face was infectious and soon she found herself grinning as well.
She gave a playful scoff at what Swoop said next. "Always, huh?" she teased as she trotted after him. "You'll have to show me your tricks." The tortoiseshell was a decent hunter, but found some trouble when it came to eggs. She always seemed to choose nests to check that were either empty or still occupied by the parents.
Her fur lifted as her paws splashed into the cold shallows of the lagoon Swoop had pointed out. She moved slowly, gently as she got herself into position. She stood still as a stone until a medium sized fish swam lazily in front of her. Springing into action, her paw flashed forward and hooked the fish by one of its fins. She heaved it up and over her head, flinging it back towards to shore for her Tribemate to jump on. She turned and began to splash back out of the water. It was cold enough, she would opt instead to stalk while keeping her paws dry. "How many do you want to catch before we go after eggs?" she called.
- shall we stick by each other as long as we live? -
His ginger ears twitched at her teasing tone, the smile still on his face. "It's not something that can simply be taught; you're born with a talent like mine," he joked. Realizing she was going to hold him to his words, he settled in a crouch by the water and pretended as if he was watching for fish. His eyes looked out for any sign of something feathered. There were not many kinds of birds that would dare to nest in leaf-fall, but he knew of one in particular that nested regardless of season. He'd seen them fly around throughout the day, which spurred on his confidence to find a nest, but tracking one of those down would be the hard part...
His attention was sucked back into the task at hand when a fish went flying past him at the distance of a tail-length. Letting his instincts do the work, Swoop was upon it within nanoseconds of it smacking the damp shore. He placed his muddied white paws on either side of it, holding it in place while he delivered a clean bite to... where the throat should've been.
Satisfied once it ceased wiggling, the ginger tom turned away from it. "Maple?" he mewed, "Do you think fish have necks?"
He laughed and moved up the shore several tail-lengths, eyes searching the waves. The current was growing steadily stronger, though not to the point that it worried him much.
Swoop didn't look at Maple when she called after him asking about when he wanted to go after some eggs. He saw a fish out in the depths of the water, but as he was wondering if he could lure it closer with a pebble, he saw a small shadow flicker across its face. The fish darted away, but Swoop had forgotten about it. "Uh-c'm- let's go!" he blurted out, stumbling over the words in his haste, as he took off after the beige bird. Maple would have to get the fish she'd caught. This bird was flying fast and he had to keep up with it.
Its light feathering disappeared into the top of the trees at the center of the island. Swoop came to a skidding halt, his paws slippery from the fish-catching. Ears pressing back against his head, he stared up into the trees. He spotted it, there, tucked away into the folds of the branches. A nest. "See?" He asked, breath a bit quick, "My mom calls-" he stopped suddenly, realizing his mistake, but he recovered quickly since his head was in the hunt, "Rain doves. She called them rain doves. They nest year-round. The real secret to finding eggs of any kind is knowing your birds. This was kind of lucky, though," Huffing, he stepped back a few paces to really observe the situation. "I think we can get the bird, too, if we both go up there and ambush it. Doves are kinda dumb, and I like to think I'm kinda smart, so," he explained and began to quietly make his way up the trunk.
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to make many ripples" -Mother Teresa
Creek didn't move and just stared at the she-cat before him as she spoke her concerns to him. Was she being serious right now? She didn't think that she was qualified for the position? if anyone was under qualified it was him! He had only been training for six moons when Rain had passed. Moth and Talon were honestly the best thing that could have happened for him. While he was younger, they showed him the respect of a leader but also weren't afraid to point out mistakes he had made.
He shifted a bit and flicked his ears forward. How should he word this? By her ears laying back she was obviously nervous and he didn't want to make it any worse. "Moth," he said his voice firm but gentle, "If I ever hear those words leave you mouth again I with claw your ears off." He looked at the she-cat then sighed and smiled some.
"I don't want another head prey-hunter. I know I had the option to choose new ones when I became leader and if you haven't noticed....I haven't," he mewed then looked over where the main island was, "In all honesty....I was afraid you and Talon would object to me being leader. I know Rain...and the tribe of endless life chose me. But I barely made it through my training before Rain left us. So I thought you and Talon might...."
He trailed off his words realizing what he was implying. treason. And moth and Talon were not those kind of cats. He shifted then looked at the cat and moved a little closer shaking out the last bit of his damp fur and smiled at her. "I would like for you to stay as my Head Prey-hunter Moth, as long as the Tribe of Endless Life will allow," he mewed, his tail touching her shoulder lightly, "Which I pray is a very, very long time."
He smiled a bit then turned his attention back to the herb he had been trying to locate. He flicked his ears around a bit and moved over to a small shriveled plant and laid his ears back. "This isn't good. Do you see anymore Borage leaves around here? These have rotted."
Word Count: 370 Tagged: canary Notes: Creek is just done with Moth right now lol
Maple's whiskers twitched in amusement and she let out a soft laugh at Swoop's question. Everything had a neck, right? She glanced towards her tribemate, amusement dancing in her amber eyes. "They have a spine, so that means they have a neck in there somewhere, right?" she called her answer back.
As she prowled along the shoreline, another flash of silver scales caught her eye in the water and she clamped her jaws shut so she wouldn't scare it away. Seeing Swoop notice the fish, she hung back to let him go for it and watched for ways she could back him up if necessary. The tortoiseshell was so focused on the fish, she barely saw the shadow that passed overhead. But she did watch it dart away and let out a snort of disappointment which she barely had time to process before Swoop called to her and ran off after the shadow.
Bewildered, she stared after the tom and looked to her fish and back and forth a couple times, trying to decide what she should do with her catch. She could always bury it where it was and come back on the way home, but if they had to leave in a hurry because of the weather, Maple knew she wouldn't forgive herself if she wasn't able to retrieve it. Or worse, what if she came back to find some scavenger had found the fragrant fish and carried it off for themselves. She snatched the fish in her jaws and sprinted after her companion. By the time he slowed, her sides were heaving and her jaw ached from carrying the fish. She dropped it among the roots of the tree and peered up to where Swoop was looking.
"See?" Maple squinted and wondered just what Swoop was looking at before a faint flicker of movement from the nest caught her eye. She listened intently to his explanation of what the birds were called and what they could expect to get for the Tribe from this expedition. Although she was a bit nervous about tree climbing, eventually she nodded her head and watched him start up the tree. She circled around the trunk, looking for a good route up herself that looked stable and where she wouldn't get in Swoop's way. Finally picking a path, she scrambled up after him, trying to stay as quiet as possible so she wouldn't scare the birds.
- shall we stick by each other as long as we live? -
Swoop climbed up the tree as quietly as he could, hoping the sound of the wind, rain, and waves was enough to muffle his claws digging in and out of the bark. He paused to look for Maple, and saw her across from him on the trunk. He smiled slightly nodded to her, if she even looked back at him, and continued to scale the tree. Its leaves were yet to begin to fall off of its branches, so the two prey-hunters would have decent cover. That simply had to be smart about it. As they got higher up, the branches became more numerous, offering many different approaches towards the dove's nest.
Swoop settled comfortably on one of the thinner boughs, his tail stretched out at its full length to keep his balance. Whiskers quivering with excitement, Swoop searched the branches for the nest and its hen. There, only a few branches over, was the bird. Swoop, at least, managed to remain quiet enough that the bird had yet to detect his presence. He waited momentarily to make sure Maple was ready, and pointed his muzzle to where their prey was. With a flick of his orange, striped tail, the tom moved in closer. In his mind, since Maple had made fishing a breeze, it was on him to return the favor. She would serve as a good back-up, like he had with the fish.
He climbed from branch-to-branch, since they were close enough together that he didn't have to jump or climb around. As he stepped onto the same offshoot the nest was on, he lowered his body and stalked along its length, quiet as a leaf in the breeze. He got close, painfully close. The dove seemed to be resting the entire time the hunters closed in, its eyes closed and feathers ruffled up against the cold. When Swoop was close, it began to stir and turned to see him.
Lunging forward with a sudden knee-jerk reaction, Swoop grabbed the bird by its back. It squawked in alarm and flapped its wings desperately, even pecked at him. Swoop held his head up as he tried to keep his balance and not fall. He turned around on the branch, claws clinging to the ragged bark, and looked for Maple. His tail lashed in an attempt to communicate without words. He couldn't get a good enough grip on the medium-sized bird to kill it and would need her help since, if he let go, it would likely escape.
