Embarrassing! Our TA, underfunded weatherman (an alien named rain) was completely off, ugh! There was no tornado (don't worry we're sending them to the dungeon for an all inclusive torture experience). May our fat ass EF5 queen 🍑 rest in pieces 🥀🪦 Your tussy will forever live in our hearts ❤️ She will be forever commemorated in our Fat Ass EF5 Tornado thread 🫡 Back to business as usual! Please check out our April Announcements, April Patrols, and Valentines Thread Contest Voting! Let's clean those threads!
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.
Name: Raven Experience: Leader, deputy, medicine cat on various sites throughout the years since like 2003-2004 or something like that Character Name: Briarpaw Character Application: Briarpaw Position Desired: LichenClan MCA IC Sample: Reduce, reuse, recycle
Anxiety tensed the shoulders of the brown tom as he pushed his way through the undergrowth. Trailing behind him was a trail of youngsters and his mission for the day. Owlfang glanced back at the apprentices and took a deep breath. Today he was meant to be assessing the skills of the Clan's apprentices. It was an important job for the deputy so that he would be able to report back to Thievingstar about the young ThistleClan cat's progress. Still, just him and the apprentices made him apprehensive. He could assess their technical skills just fine, but he wasn't sure he would be so successful if he tried to relate to them or give them advice. Given that, he had still insisted on leading the session alone so he could prove that he didn't need another adult to manage a group of younger cats.
Despite his misgivings, though, he held his head high. No matter what, he had a job to do and his Clanmates were depending on him.Well, maybe that was a little dramatic. But his leader needed to know how training was coming along. The apprentices' mentors needed to know if there were things they didn't realize needed work. The warriors needed to know they could depend on the cats that would one day battle beside them. And the apprentice's could use the encouragement of knowing that they were doing a good job. Some of them might even impress him today. Not that he would know how to let them know though.
Owlfang finally reached the clearing where the assessment would take place and turned to face his group as the young cats fanned out in front of him. "Today you're going to show me how well you fight. After that, on the way home, we will have a hunting contest. The apprentice that catches the most prey on the way back to camp earns a day of rest tomorrow," he announced. Sharp blue eyes scanned the apprentices as he paced a line in front of them. "Pair off," he instructed. "You will fight until one is pinned. Then the winners will fight each other until there is one that remains." Maybe the idea of a tournament would inspire them to try their best today. "And I'll be watching and offering advice as I see fit." He paused, his tail flicking back and forth as he tried to decide what to say next. "You may begin," he finished lamely.
Name: Stags Experience: None on this site, I have played deputies and medicine cats before. Character Name: Redfox Character Application:Redfox Position Desired: Deputy IC Sample: (Context, the fox is actually a cat wearing a foxes pelt, and refers to herself as a fox for OOC immersion.) The moon. Starting to swell like a pregnant queen's belly with the aging of the month. Yet with the light from the constant of the night sky was choked and hidden with the thick clouds that grew with every seeming moment. Tense and tightly woven together, like the muscles of a rabbit ready to flee from the fox's maw. Sometimes... At just the right moment a soft beam of sadness moonlight made it's way to the ground below, finding itself shimmering on the pelts of two unholy creatures. The air on the moor was thicker than the tension in WindClan's camp, sought with worry for their missing leader. The dying cats. The bloody mess the grass these cat's walked had become. Fear scent gently wafted in the light breeze. Old? New? A mix of both. It drove the fox into a hungry frenzy. The fox didn't need the light of the moon to guide her to the camp of the creatures. Their own scent of prey did that for her. Her nose finely tuned to hunt. To Kill. To Wound. To Bloody.
Silent paws treaded over the grass, ears pricked and alert. Of course, the prey would be hiding. It was so dark, and danger lurked in every shadow. A companion slunk by her side. Never hunt alone.
As the last beams of the moon and the stars were finally completely overcome by the think and growing clouds, the moor grew completely dark. Hardly a speck of light to be seen. The howling of the wind whipping across the moors sounding like a howling wolf, an ominous omen to what was to come.
Finally, finally, the fox and her companion made it to their destination. Unseen, unheard, unknown the fox broke the crest of the camp in the divot. Her black pelt disguising her from prey eyes, and her natural-born skills keeping her from being heard. Swiftly now, she entered the camp but not too far. Her black fur pressed to the walls as the prey's scent hit her nose and caused her mouth to moisten and leak with hungry saliva. Her jaw itched to feel the crunching of bone, and her tongue wept for the taste of blood. Only more seconds. Her companion must be ready, too. So as the moments passed much slower to her than in reality, the black fox took great pleasure in the previews of slaughtering and hurting the prey in her mind. Soon. Soon, she would break them all.
(A more typical post) Burningsun had walked maybe three steps ahead of the patrol, heading to race up the crest. Forever, she would remain shocked by the amount of speed that she was out on the ground, the carcass of her first kill flying. The air was knocked from her lungs as a large body hit her. Head swirling, the warrior slowly rolled up, eyes only to widen as she saw what was in front of her. A fox, the whole reason why she was supposed to be here to protect them from. With shaky legs, the she-cat stood, putting herself between Sandpaw and Aspenheart and the fox. ”Sandpaw… Take Aspenheart back to camp and get others, now!” Her fur raising and her voice getting louder, the firey warrior prepared to attack. Sandpaw might be older than her, a member of WindClan longer, but she was faster. She could get back to camp sooner than her, and bring others back faster. Burningsun would fight this fox alone.
It all happened so fast. Sandpaw instinctively dove to protect Aspenheart with a flash of fur breaking her blue gaze. A fox stood in front of the SkyClan, no former, warrior. Did this cat know how to fight a fox? Alone? She didn’t know the other cat well enough to decide. Her hesitation was broken with the sound of Burningsun’s call. Immediately, Sandpaw sprung to action. Last time, she led the group into the maw of a fox.This time, she would lead them out. Well, at least one of them. ”Aspenheart! Come on!” Ever since they had buried his spider, she had felt extra connected to the tom. He was so vital to the clan and well- Burningsun was replaceable. She did not argue with the she-cat’s deathwish. While the medicine cat was taller than her, she had to move him. Nudging the tom, she took off in a sprint back to camp, practically shoving him along the way. Praying to StarClan, she hoped that the tom would not get one of his seizures. Please, don’t have one of them.
As Sandpaw disappeared over the crest, she felt no remorse for leaving the new warrior behind.
Her ears flattened as a yelp from the she-cat carried over the moor.
Burningsun stood where Sandpaw had left her, reeling from a swipe from the fox. Her vision blurred with blood, and her face felt like fire as one solid swipe connected with her face, leaving a diagonal, three claws scratch across her face. ”Filthy creature.” Burningsun hissed, ready to jump. She could take on a single fox. Sandpaw would be back soon with others… Lightfang at the least.
Name:Kaz Experience: 2x Moderator, 2x Leaders, 3x Deputies, 1 Med Cat. No tribe experience Character Name: Sunrise that Burns the Sky Character Application:Sunrise that Burns the Sky Position Desired: Head Prey-Hunter IC Sample:
(Alternate universe where the tribe is not coughing, but facing a blight)
"...Breathe...Steady..."
As the sun began to peek out from the horizon, mouse peeked it's head out from it's hole underneath a small tree. It was about to start a bit of hunting of it's own, looking for a bit of breakfast
On the wind, it caught something else. The scent of a cat, and approaching rapidly. Before it could react, a flash of red flew by, and seemed to be gone as quick as it came Sunrise that Burns the Sky had a different point of view. To her, it was almost as if a path was outlined in her eyes, like an arrow pointing her over logs, under branches, through grass, and around rock. This route was well practiced, and was one of the more challenging and intense exercises that Sunrise delighted in, made even more so by the dim, sunless sky.
"There's a special treat at the end...huh..oh...just remember that..."she reminded herself. Such comments helped to spur her on, and gave her reminders of why she chose this route. It had been at least a moon since she was able to have the time for a harder route, those that finished the run in a timely manner could watch the sunrise on the beach. She had been running up until a log that had fallen over a boulder. The terrain up ahead had cleared up, giving a bit of room to move.
Sunrise smiled. She loved this part.
With a powerful kick from her hind legs, she burst off the log and began to charge toward the clearing. She picked up speed and her run turned into a sprint. The forest was generally opening up now, and soon, she ran along a a ridge that gave her a a clear view of the shore. It was bright enough everything now, even some flying over the water. All around her, the forest seemed to be a blur, and she instinctively seemed to know just which way to weave about. In the tribe, there was a special connection to the land, and she tried her best to honor that. She hunted in these lands, but to put her body through it's paces here, to breathe it's air, and tread it's paths was, as she believed, a better honor to the life of the island.
Nearing the end, the path became more difficult. She slowed down, and came to a fallen tree. It leaned over on a boulder, and blocked access to the prize behind. A climb later, she found herself on a ridge overlooking the sandy shore. She laid down, and rested.
The problem she tussled with, was noticed last week. An to-be uncovered a family of mice in their den, all fighting each other, and dying soon after. The whole hunt, they saw strange behavior, all ending with death. After sampling and conferring with the Head guard and StoneTeller, she named the newfound affliction Mouseblight. That was a week ago. Today, it had rendered 13% of the landspace for hunting unusable. She now has the unenviable task of somehow securing a way to feed the tribe.
It wouldn't be a workout if she didn't have to run back, but she decided to stay a little while. After a long think, she she sat up. Watching the sun fill the sky with color, she made her decision.
"If thats what it takes, it's what it takes." She resolved out loud.
Sunrise That Burns the Sky, refilled with vigor, made the rounds around camp, greeting and delighting with her tribemates.
"Hey, morning Sunrise!"
She turned around to face the greeter. It was a friend, Pine that Stands Alone.
"Well, look at that! Well groomed this morning! Got a special occasion? Or are you trying to get Sparrow to notice you?"
"It's not--"
She's busy. And I told you before, you have to actually be friends, in order to start be with someone."
"What, like you?"
She turned and looked at him. "Why not?" she said.
Pine became flustered, and instead of responding, changed the subject.
"Who was assigned to your hunting patrol? I noticed you were gone.
"Look, I keep telling you, I exercise every morning. I haven't gone hunting today."
"I really wish you wouldn't go out like that without a Stone-Guard?"
"What, like you? Hey, if you can't get up in the morning, then, you miss all the fun. Also, why do you say, 'stone-guard?' like you're at a ceremony or something? Just say, 'guard', it saves time."
"Sunrise, you're the only one who says that. And you remember when we train-"
"I can handle myself. Better than some of the others." She said, pointedly
There was something off about this conversation. To Sunrise, his responses seemed half-hearted, and shaky, like there was something urgent that was waiting to burst out. She pulled him aside.
"Look, Pine....is there something wrong? I was just kidding about Sparro-"
"Is the mouseblight real?"
This question smacked her in the face. She blinked a few times.
"What?"
"Sunrise...is it real? A few days ago, I heard a rumour, that the mice were getting sick. At first, it was just a rumor, but the more I thought about it, the more it's been scaring me, and now it's all I can think about. I've had nightmares, trouble sleeping, trouble focusing...I really just need to know it's some silly rumor. I can't bear the idea that we are all going to starve to death.
Sunrise dipped her head low and sighed.
"Believe it, Pine. It's real. And it's spreading like a fire." Pine's face had a mixture of fear and disbelief. "We even think it's affecting the other small prey.
Look, you shouldn't let it concern you that much anyway. The one thing I've always known is just how strong the islands are, and how strong we are. We're facing a food shortage. It's scary, but that's the truth we're faced with. It may seem like we've got no choice but to roll over and starve, there's always a choice. We can choose to be afraid, or we can choose to adapt to it. Live with it, and eventually solve it. Be determined to stand up what we're facing. Our ancestors are in every tree, blade of grass, and gust of wind. They'll guide us through, like always. There's really nothing to worry about."
"I know I sprang this on you, but you're terrible at this."
"Yeah, I'm bad at improvising. That's why I came up with a plan to feed the tribe."
"You should have opened with that."
"Not really. It's risky, a little dangerous, and only a chance that it'll work. When it's time to clue everyone in, you won't like it. But look, there's hope, Pine. We have hope. We'll get through it, alive. I promise."
"You know, that made me feel better...at least we have that."
Name: Izumakoto Experience: I've played, over the course of coming up to 10 years of literate RP experience, 4 leaders and 1 MCA, along with 1 deputy spread across forums and Discord. Character Name: Firfoot Character Application: Firfoot Position Desired: Thistleclan Deputy IC Sample: Taken from another forum - Webwhisper doubts his leader's ability to hold together both sides of a clan divided by time of day.
The evening air was crisp tonight, as it always was, that same quiet stillness chilling the breeze that toyed with the ears of any who might be in its meandering way. The stars were out, but the stars were quiet, so the stars did not matter, in the end. Not tonight, at the very least. Cats rose and slept and dreamed and planned in all corners of camp, abuzz and alive with activity at the same time as being completely devoid of it. One benefit of the Nightwalkers though was perhaps their light-footedness - Daywalkers and their bubbly, boisterous natures were never quite as careful to avoid waking the Nightwalkers as Webwhisper might have liked them to be.
No matter - one grows quickly used to thundering pawsteps, and the spindly tom could survive on little sleep anyway. However, the trouble with recent events was that the lack of a Nightwalker leader had left a certain threat of quiet chaos across their ranks. They were coping, for now, but one leader in a clan divided could not shoulder both sides of the scale. If there was any doubt about that, all any cat had to do was look at Applewater's face. Webwhisper wasn't sure he had ever seen eyes so lifeless still living, especially not tonight as he picked his way out of the Nightwalker den out into camp to receive and arrange the twilight's assignments. The herbalist had already engaged her in conversation, a Nightwalker tom had already swarmed her (and the manner in which he sashayed over to her nauseated Webwhisper only slightly), but she looked just about ready to drop, poor mouse.
He quickened his loping stride just slightly to approach the forming group, clearing his throat with a pointed side-eye towards Shadowchaser before he let his gaze sweep around the cats present.
"By Mayank's blessing," he grunted, "Applewater, for the love of the rains above, look at the state of you- I am no medicine tom, but your knees are hardly holding you upright." He gestured to her paws as if it would prove his point. "I'm sure the immediate arrangements you wish to make are necessary, but for the gods' sakes, get yourself some rest." His tail swayed behind him. Whilst his words were perhaps harsher than necessary, his tone held no malice to it; rather, a matter-of-fact kind of delivery, formal as ever. "If you need someone to take over arranging patrols, I'm sure Honeybee here wouldn't mind helping out with that, she knows the clan well enough. If I must I will lend my own services too, but this cannot continue. You can't lead both halves of the clan when you can barely keep both your eyes open."
Experience: I’ve been roleplaying Warriors on and off for over a decade! Wow I’m old! I played a deputy character on a forum in 2017-2018, who was quickly (and unexpectedly!) thrown into leadership after the previous leader became inactive on the site.
IC Sample: (since I'm still pretty new to the forum and haven't been here for a lot of major plot events, I thought I'd write up Stag's potential intro to a cold wind blows from the east!)
---
Things had been going well on the Island lately—perhaps a little too well. Leaf-fall had always put Stagflight in a good mood. When his pelt seamlessly blended in with the amber leaves that littered the forest floor, those were the precious few moons of the year when he felt truly like himself. Every mouse between his jaws tasted sweeter, and the moments he spent curled in his den before dozing off felt just a little bit cozier.
To put an extra bounce in the tom’s step, his apprentice had just recently received his warrior name. When Thievingstar had called out Porcupinepetal, Stagflight had initially winced—petal? She saw the strong, capable warrior he had trained and named him after a dainty little flower? But seeing Porcupinepetal beam with pride was enough to push his indignation aside. He couldn’t guarantee that every apprentice in Thistleclan learned things the right way, but at least he could guarantee a small pawful understood the value of hard work and discipline.
But tonight, instead of multi-colored leaves crunching under his paws, he felt the cold sting of snow. His thick coat offered little protection from the biting wind as Thistleclan made their regular trek to the waterfall, and the ominous glow of the full moon above put a knot in Stagflight’s stomach. He had never enjoyed gatherings—small talk was not his forte—but he had a particularly bad feeling about tonight.
Like the newly formed ice that dotted the creek, happiness was unstable. Whether it was Starclan or some other cosmic force punishing him for his satisfaction was uncertain, but there was no doubt that every hardship he faced had occurred suspiciously close to a period of great happiness.
Lichenclan had already gathered around the rushing water, to Stagflight’s surprise. He expected Redwoodclan, with their closer proximity to the meeting site, but something must have held them up tonight. As he wondered what it could be, his paws took him farther away from his clanmates and the unfamiliar scent of Lichenclan until he was confident no cat would dare approach him. He was there to listen, not to run his mouth.
When Finchstar finally arrived and took his place among the other leaders, Stagflight stopped scanning the crowd and fixed his gaze squarely on the trio. The Redwoodclan leader reminded him of Froststar, in a way. It was clear he lacked the mental fortitude for his position, and with a force as ruthless as Minnowstar nipping at his heels, he almost felt sorry for the tom.
As the leaders began to speak, he listened with rapt attention. With each moment of normality, with every second that passed without a fight breaking out or one leader threatening another, Stagflight felt unease creeping further up his spine. Something isn't right.
In an unusual display of faith, he caught himself looking at the moon. As he did, its surface was briefly obscured by a flock of crows. Hisses and gasps rippled through the crowd of cats, but it wasn’t the crows that had caused such a commotion—it was a tiny black tom, barely larger than a kit, that had burst onto the scene. Every eye was trained on him.
His divine punishment had arrived, right on time.
---
Character views on current TC Plot: A few seasons ago, perhaps Stagflight would have been completely opposed to the curfew enacted by Thievingstar, eager to rip out the throats of the rogues that threatened their way of life. But with two daughters just beginning their apprenticeship on the most hostile version of the Island he has been alive to witness, Stagflight is much more understanding of any measures taken to protect the clan’s most vulnerable members. That being said, he still doesn’t think Thievingstar is taking action that is aggressive enough to put an end to these slayings once and for all.
Character Plot Plans: Stagflight does not give the benefit of the doubt, nor is he one to warm up quickly to outsiders, so I imagine that he would strongly support any effort to eliminate the threat of the neighboring rogue “tribe”. He isn’t particularly good at picking up on the emotions of those around him, and may not realize that Thievingstar is losing her grip on reality somewhat, enabling her rash decisions. Perhaps a stronger relationship with his daughters can move him in a more empathetic direction, but until then, he would be pretty in step with Thievingstar.
Experience: Intermittently role-played on literate Warriors forums from 2018-2020 but never held a high position and always stuck to one character. Been role-playing and writing fan fiction for MLP:FIM since 2013.
The gaunt maine coon's deep amber eyes dodged Graygaze in favor of the soft-hearted tom that flanked him. The she-cat spoke of healing and the northern cliffs in earnest, but the dark warrior had his misgivings. At least their encounter concluded peacefully. Graygaze could at least be sure that the intruder's arthritic movements were genuine, like a corpse possessed by a dark forest curse. Her limbs cracked and locked as awkwardly as a falling tree's branches. She'd need more than just comfrey. It would be nothing short of a miracle if she returned to the Northern Cliffs alive.
Graygaze retracted his claws. Blood would not be spilt this day. The stranger's scent became fainter and fainter until finally he could not sense her at all. Perhaps she was just a desperate she-cat trying to keep herself going. Perhaps she was trained in the administration of herbs and poultices. Perhaps... but Graygaze cared not for wagers. Unnecessary risks were just that. Their ancestors created numerous burrows for hares and mice to ensure they could always eat. They stuck to the shadows and struck when the moment arrived. They were patient and calculating. Thunderheart was none of these things. The fiery tabby stared through Graygaze as if to slash him with just his vision. He muttered something, then mewed about a report to Thievingstar.
You're a disgrace.
"Really? You're mad at me? You're angry at me for doing what any ThistleClan warrior would have done?" Graygaze's lip curled. "You don't follow orders! You take pity on a rogue you've never met before! You don't keep your mouth shut! Hey - I'm not done yet!" The orange tabby Graygaze had been disparaging walked away with his tail tucked between his legs. Whether or not he was listening, the elder of the pair was keen to belittle the other. "Hey Thunderheart, GROW UP! Your loyalty is to your clan! Be better!" he yowled.
Graygaze had been too lenient. He just wanted to get through the moons without having to worry, but that wishful thinking had been sullied. The warrior assumed that the cats around him were competent enough that he wouldn't have to worry about anybody's performance other than his own. He allowed Mistflower to wander off at her own suggestion even though she was injured. He thought his apprentice wouldn't wander outside of camp when he wasn't with her. He should have been stricter. Mistakes piled upon mistakes due to his reckless compliancy.
"You think every rogue that comes through here is your friend? Hey, why don't you go join her in the cliffs if you care so much? It'll make a great story for the kits back at camp!" Graygaze narrowed his eyes. "If you look at me like that again, I'll kill you! I'll kill you and dump your body by the cliffs you traitor! Don't you ever question my orders again!"
Graygaze stood there while Thunderheart walked away. He'd never lost his temper like that with anybody. Frustration boiled in his stomach like a raging forest fire. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. He recognized that he'd gone too far. The tom shook his head. I'll apologize tomorrow. He looked at his paws, seeped in mud and sand, and saw his claws dig into the earth. Sorrow, anger, disappointment and regret weighed on his mind. Graygaze turned back to where the rogue had disappeared and wondered if she felt like any of this mattered. Perhaps.
Character views on current TC Plot: Graygaze is tired. He often dreams of life beyond the island, but knows this vision is unattainable. Day in and day out he hunts, goes home, then waits for some rogues to attack them in the night. RedwoodClan and LichenClan battle for territory while ThistleClan struggles to even retain a deputy. Their warriors are soft-hearted, brightly colored, lesser versions of RedwoodClan cats. This is a clan that has lost their identity. Lost their strength. StarClan exploited their weakness with a great flood, perhaps their way of prophesizing, "There should only be two clans. Let us expunge these faithless shadows of warriors here and now. Let them all die in Leaf-fall."
A deep anger is swelling inside the normally apathetic Graygaze. He silently rages against his own clan's incompetence. But what can he do? He's just a warrior. Perhaps it was expected that after this devastating flood their clan would be no more. Perhaps... but it would bring Graygaze endless amusement if this event actually made them better than they were before. A clean slate. Wouldn't that be nice?
Character Plot Plans: Graygaze would not be the best choice for deputy under normal circumstances. The lackadaisical tom grimly does his patrols every day, then shuts down as soon as he gets back to camp. His snarky attitude has fostered resentment in more than a few of his clanmates. Every apprentice he'd been assigned in the past had abandoned his mentorship, criticizing his lack of empathy and his administrating long stretches of unsupervised conditional training. Despite all that, Thievingstar is looking for a cat that is predictable. Graygaze possesses virtually no desire to be leader. He's never undermined her authority. He has proven his loyalty to the clan multiple times over. Thievingstar might pick him purely because the chances of him causing an uprising are very minimal. Plus, it's almost guaranteed that ThistleClan would respect their leader far more than their deputy if he was selected.
The name of the game for the paranoid Thievingstar is 'control'. Albeit, Graygaze is not nearly the inept buffoon she thinks he is. After being made deputy, Graygaze would almost immediately banish multiple ThistleClan cats from their ranks and reign in more respect. He'd inform Thievingstar that curfews and patrol limitations were ineffective - to truly restore ThistleClan they'd need to make the other clans fear them again. Ambushes, aggressive border patrols, firm leadership... they would wage war against the stars if they had to.
Ratwhisker's relationship with Graygaze is an exception. The medicine cat might be more inclined to see the inherent value in Graygaze being made deputy, as the cloudy tom has displayed other traits around him: kindness, bravery, leadership. Ratwhisker could be more fond of this deputy than those of the past and gladly vouch for him. The two cats grew up around each other and there is a silent trust between them that neither cat needs to vocalize. Still, Graygaze would be tough on Ratwhisker and demand even more from him than his leader or his clanmates in order to make him the unquestionable best medicine cat on the island.