Ok...it felt kind of nice to NOT write 2020 LMAO. Welcome to 2021! To kick off the brand new year, we're introducing a round of updates, including new bio and forbidden romance rules, our Secret Santa reveal, OTM winners and nominations, our monthly patrols, and a fun new infectious disease! So make sure to check out the January Announcements for all of the new content! As we leave 2020 behind us, we hope everyone is able to put themselves first this year and practice self-care! Here's to another one! Let's write some cats!
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 want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think. -Rumi
The last several days had gone by in blurs. The small calico had just gone where her feet had lead and there the deputy and mentor had told her. She knew she had said she would do better, that she wouldn't be a kit anymore, but after the vigil and her parents had been taken away from the camp to be buried by the warriors, Mousepaw had found it hard to do much of anything. Even now, as the sun rays started to peek into the sky she found herself just laying in her nest, her head on her paws. She glanced over at the nest closest to her and looked at the empty spot. Usually Ravenpaw was still sleeping. He must have been asked to do an early patrol.
She laid there a moment longer watching the empty nest, a few questions circling in her head. She had noticed that the space between their nests had started growing smaller and smaller. Not by much but there was a difference from when they first moved in. But she couldn't recall moving her nest, or Ravenpaw moving his? Was it Newtpaw or Windpaw messing with them? She wouldn't put it passed them to move their nests around as a joke. She sighed and stood stretching her legs before her before making her way slowly out of the den. She didn't really feel like doing much still, but maybe taking a walk out to the clearing where she sang to the birds would clear her head a little.
She checked the camp for Rockjaw then made her way slipping out of the camp as she normally did. She kept her movements slow and soft watching the forest around her. The air was still cold and she could see her breath forming in small clouds before her. She paused and blinked at a bush where ice had formed around it's leaves and encased it in a crystal like cover. This would be her first leafbare since her birth and she barely remembered that one. She tilted her head some then kept going toward the normal clearing.
As she reached the space she paused as a light wind ruffled her long coat and stopped as a familiar scent drifted across her nose. She slicked her ears and peered through the branches of a bush at the dark coat before her blinking a bit in surprised. What was Ravenpaw doing out here? And why was he just sitting there. She glanced around making sure no one else was there but he seemed to be alone. She slowly stepped into the clearing and flicked her ears some in his direction. "Good morning, Ravenpaw," she said with a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Did you come to listen to me sing again?"
She hoped that wasn't the case. She hadn't been in the mood to sing much recently. It was something her mom had done too, and it still hurt just a little too much.
The last few days had the large black tom feeling like he was about to go crazy. He longed to jump from his own skin and run away. With his mentor badly wounded and Mousepaw so emotionally devastated the most of the time she seemed like an empty husk ghosting around the camp, Ravenpaw hardly knew what to do with himself. He desperately wanted to help them, but he was unable to find ways he could be useful. So to make up for that, he had done nothing. After the battle when Mousepaw had discovered her parents, he had heard her cries. But she'd had so many other cats by her side, Ravenpaw felt crowded out.
And so he had done nothing. He hadn't gone to her, said anything to her, and the guilt had eaten at him ever since. Today he was determined to fix his mistake. He'd risen early and secured permission from both Tigerpool and Rockjaw to take a break from training to the day. He grabbed a quick bite to eat and then made his way to the forest.
All that was left was to wait now. Wait and hope that Mousepaw felt like coming to sing with the birds this morning. The seconds stretched into eternities the longer he waited. He wasn't sure how long he had been waiting, but he was starting to think that maybe she wouldn't come. No sooner had the thought entered his head, then the bushes rustled..
He shook his head at her question. "No. I mean it would be nice but," he paused. "But that's not why I came. I thought I would meet you here and I was just hoping that I could talk to you alone. Just us." He scooted aside a bit and swept his tail across the ground next to him, an invitation for her to sit.
"I wanted to apologize, I guess. I saw how hurt you were the other day when..." The black tom couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. She had to know what he was talking about. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you. But I'm going to try and do better." He meant that, too. What kind of friend could he call himself? He'd taken his time to check in with her after the border skirmish first and now this. "I wanted to try and help you feel better, so I had Tigerpool and Rockjaw excuse us from training today. You and I are going to-" He cut himself off. He didn't need to seem bossy here. "That is... I was thinking that we could spend the day together. You know... try to have some fun?" He tilted his head towards her to see if she would agree.
"I want today to be about taking your mind off things. I don't want you to dwell on the sad stuff." There he went being bossy again. It wasn't his intention to ban anything from conversation. "I mean... if you really need to talk about things, I'm here for you, I'll try to help."
i want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think. -Rumi
Mousepaw kept quiet her gaze dropping some as he explained that he wanted to talk. She wasn't sure what they could talk about, but before she could express these concerned he motioned her over lightly with his tail. She watched him for a long moment before moving over and sitting beside him, her gaze turned a but t the forest, but he ear in his direction to show she was listening. She wasn't wanting to come across as stand-offish but she didn't really know how to express how she really was feeling. This wasn't something she had experienced before. She was sad, yes but also....disappointed? Mad? Her parents were never going to get to see her become a warrior, would never get to see her grow or her own kits to grow. It wasn't fair.
As Ravenpaw explained that they were both given permission to have the day off from training she looked at him a bit surprised as he continued on with his plan. She watched him a bit confused then shifted and lowered her gaze as he said he didn't want her focusing on the bad, but seemed to catch himself. No, he was right. She had been focusing on it way too much. She sighed and swallowed some then shook her head some.
"No, you are right," she said softly, "and I'm sorry. And don't say I don't need to apologize." She looked up at as she saw his mouth open to object her apology and flicked her ears at him some. "I do need to. I know I haven't been myself and it's worried you. But that does mean a lot to me, Ravenpaw, to know that you care so much."
She smiled and bit then took in a deep breath, letting it out as she stood as tall as she could. She had promised she would try to do better, be better. And maybe sometimes that meant having a little fun. Plus, she had to admit, it would be nice to spend the day with Ravenpaw. Alone. Away from the camp. Away from prying eyes. Away from teasing whispers. She looked up at him, her green eyes bright with awaited excitement. "I am good with a day of no worries and fun," she said confidently, her bushy tail lightly brushing the tom's side, "So what did you have in mind?"
Ravenpaw scowled a bit when Mousepaw started to apologize. How ridiculous. Of course she needn't apologize. She had every right to feel the way she was feeling right now, it just seemed to him that it was his job as her friend to try and help her feel better. He opened his jaws to tell her as much, but quickly snapped them closed again as she silenced him before he could even start. His eyes cast downwards for a moment and he scuffled his front paw in the dust when she said how much it meant to her to know that he cared. "It's no problem," he mewed awkwardly.
What did you have in mind?
It was a reasonable question that one would definitely expect to be asked in this kind of situation. But it caught the black apprentice off guard because it made him realize that he hadn't actually made a plan other than getting them both out of training so they could do... something.
"Um," he murmured as he looked around the clearing. "Well, I don't know!" he admitted brightly. He stood and flicked his tail, beckoning Mousepaw to follow. "But it shouldn't hard to find something, right?" He lead her from the clearing and, before too long, he came to the base of a thick tree and grinned as he scanned the sturdy looking lower branches. "Bet I can climb faster than you," he purred. "First one to the first round of branches wins, eh?" Without waiting for her answer or giving her the courtesy of a countdown, he sprang up, gripping the bark with his claws and scrambling up towards the finish line.
i want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think. -Rumi
Mousepaw found herself purring slightly as Ravenpaw admitted he didn't have an immediate plan for them, but as he moved further into the territory Mousepaw found herself following beside him looking around and taking in the forest in a more casual view. She really enjoyed being out here and not having to worry about patrols or training. Maybe this was exactly what she needed to get her mind off of all the bad that had happened. She glanced over at Ravenpaw, her head level with his dark muscular shoulder, the tips of her ears even with his eyes. She never really noticed how short she was compared to him, or to anyone really. He didn't make her feel small.
She was about to make a suggestion of where they could go, however she noticed the black tom pause and look at a large tree nearby before making the taunting statement, the grin causing her to raise an eyebrow. SHe was about to retort back but before she could say anything he took off launching himself up the tree trunk.
"Hey! that's cheating!" she called out, a laugh ringing in her voice before the took off after him, jumping and latching onto a different section, slowly making her wait up the tree as well. She was a good tail lengths behind her friend but she wouldn't give up just yet.
"I hope you know you have about a tail's worth of length to your advantage!" she called up before shifting her hind legs beneath her more and pushing up hard quickly launching herself up higher. She kept going and kept climbing before with a grunt she pushed one last time and twisted grabbing onto the large tree branch above her and pulling herself up. She made sure she had her balance before turning and looking at where Ravenpaw was. She grinned seeing, somehow, with those quick strong pushes she had managed to beat him. She shifted then turned and jumped to the branch just above him and leaned her head down as he looked up to get her bearings, her green eyes shining with happiness.
"What are ya doing down there slowpoke?" she teased lightly at him, her bushy tail flicking happily behind her. She moved over and let him finish his climb, casually licking her paw and cleaning off her face like she was bored waiting on him. She paused and glanced at him grinning smugly. "Thought you could get a head start, huh?"
Word Count: 410 Tags: Raven~ Notes: Mousepaw is a naturally good climber even if she won't admit it herself...i mean she did manage to climb a rock at 6 moons lol
Ravenpaw was feeling confident. That was, until he noticed that Mousepaw was gaining on him. In fact, not only was she gaining, but she had passed him. His initial momentum had slowed significantly as his own weight started to, well, weigh him down. She reached her branch and teased him from above as he hauled himself up the tree. He finally scrambled into the branch beside her, trying his best to hide his puffing breaths. “There, you see?” He brushes his tail against her shoulder as he turned to start lowering himself down the trunk. “I needed the head start. And I still lost!”
Once he was far enough down the trunk, he released his grip and plopped heavily onto the forest floor. “So you win this one. Come on I just remembered something I wanted to show you!” He paused for just long enough to see that she made it to the ground safely before turning and trotting off into the woods again. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten. Several days prior, while out training with a surrogate mentor, he’d come across a field full of early spring blooms. They didn’t seem to care about the bits of snow that clung to the forest as they stubbornly pushed forth from the ground to bloom.
His mind flashed back to the flower he’d found on the catnip gathering outing and he was suddenly nervous. What would she think of him showing her a field full of flowers? It didn’t matter, he decided, because he could feel deep in his gut that seeing them would make her happy. The black tom stopped just before they reached the clearing and turned back to look at Mousepaw. His amber eyes rested on her delicate face and his heart skipped a beat. His breath caught momentarily in his chest. She really is so pretty, he thought before forcing himself back into the present moment. “Are you ready?” He waited for her answer and then turned to lead her into the flowered clearing. “Look! I found all these the other day and they… they reminded me of you.” He tried to keep his voice strong and calm, but was unable to completely hide the waver that’s betrayed how awkward he felt. “I thought you would like to see them. Aren’t they pretty?”
i want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think. -Rumi
Mousepaw giggled at the tom lightly, trying to hide the heat rising from her cheeks as his tail brushed her shoulder. She watched him make his way back down, as he started talking of someplace else he wanted to show her. For someone who didn't really have a plan, he seemed to want to show her a lot of different things. She shifted looking down at the ground far below then carefully started making her way down the tree trunk. Despite being a good climber, Mousepaw hated climbing down trees. She felt like she looked clumsy and awkward. Hitting the ground below she let out a quiet sigh of relief that she hadn't fallen and quickly trotted after Ravenpaw.
She found herself looking around smiling as she noticed shining icicles and layers of ice making the leaves on the surviving bushes glisten in the leaf-bare sun. She looked back at Ravenpaw and flicked her ears some. He had grown up handsomely, not that he had ever not been cute. But he had filled out with his training, his muscles visible and strong. His coat was always clean, she realized, but not in an obsessive way. But the cleanliness made his have it's own shine in the sunlight that made her smile. He had finally stopped and looked back at her and Mousepaw involuntarily paused herself.
His amber eyes locked with her and her heart suddenly rushed into her throat, doing back-flips along they. She didn't know why, but she had always loved looking at his eyes. They were so bright and clear, seeming to know exactly how she felt at any moment of any day. And here they were staring at her, the tom frozen with a look of admiration, even if it was brief. She forced her heart back into it's proper place as he explained about the field before him and that it reminded him of her. as this like when they had gone for the spider webs and catnip. Newtpaw then had told her Ravenpaw said something similar then. "does he really think i'm as pretty as a flower?" she thought as she stepped up beside him to look at the field before them.
The sight before them took her breathe away. While the field before them was covered in a layer of white snow, bright bundles of flowers covered the area before them as well. She sat down and let out a sigh, fighting the small tears of happiness that threatened the leak from her eyes. "Ravenpaw....it's beautiful," she said looking up at him and smiling wide, "It is absolutely beautiful."
She looked at him a moment then purred lightly and pressed into his side some. She really was happy Ravenpaw had talked their mentors into letting them have a day off and bringing her out here. While everything that had happened was rough, this right here made everything, all her worries, pain, and sadness just disappear. Ravenpaw being there for her always seemed to do that. Her eyes drifted over the flowers a long distant memory pushed its way forward. It hurt a little, as it was about her parents, but it was a happy memory. It was something she wouldn't mind sharing with Ravenpaw.
"Go around and gather as many flowers as you can hold," she said looking up at him and smiling before lifting herself to her feet. "All colors. Any that stick out to you. I will do the same and then I will meet you by the cluster of white flowers right there." She flicked her tail toward a small patch of white a green before purring happily and raising some to brush her head under his chin before trotting off happily toward some yellow flowers she saw a bit away. "Why do i have to be so short. That was embarrassing," she thought trying to hide her embarrassment by flicking her feathery tail back and forth as she started her hunt for her flowers.
Word Count: 656 Tags: Notes: -sniffles- my baby girl is growing up....
Satisfaction ripples through the apprentice’s black pelt as he saw Mousepaw’s reaction to the flowering field. That gave way to some confusion, though, as she instructed him to gather up as many flowers as he could. And he was completely caught off guard when she rubbed along under his chin. On instinct, he reacted by lowering his chin slightly to brush along her back as she passed. Unbidden, a purr tumbled up in response as he watched her go off to collect her flowers. The tom stood rooted momentarily to the spot, simply watching his companion as he willed his heart to calm down.
With a small shake, he pulled himself from the moment and hurried off to the task she had given him. He did his best to only pick flowers that he felt would live up to the she-cat’s expectations. He avoided ones that had yet to open or with damaged petals. These were to make Mousepaw happy and only the finest would do. He was always careful to leave plenty of the stem intact to allow for easier carrying so he wouldn’t damage the delicate petals with his teeth.
Once he had gathered a fair bit of flowers, he turned and hustled over to meet Mousepaw by the patch of white flowers she had indicated before they had parted. He dropped his bouquet at her paws and, curiously, peered from the flowers up to her face. His head cocked slightly to one side as he asked, “Now what?”
i want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think. -Rumi
Mousepaw worked diligently and quietly gathering as many flowers as her small jaws could hold. It took her a few trips before she was satisfied with her collection and just looked over the flowers occasionally watching Ravenpaw as he moved around collecting his as well. She smiled some as a memory of her parents reentered her mind, but unlike the others she had recently, this one was happy. It meant a lot to her and now, she felt comfortable sharing it with Ravenpaw.
As the black tom joined her again Mousepaw got to work halfway sorting the flowers he had brought her. She glanced up at him as he asked what to do next and she flicked her tail back and forth happily. "Now we weave them together and make a crown," she said happily, "it's like how the clan weaves the brambles around the nursery and such just on a smaller scale. The biggest thing I will need you to do is hold some if the stems in place while I do some of the weaving."
She started instructing him on where to carefully place his paws so the stems wouldnt get crushed while she was using her smaller paws to interweave her flowers into the ones he had brought over. He had done a really good job. All his flowers were in pristine condition and they were absolutely beautiful. "My mom and dad used to do this all the time while I was a kit," she explained softly as she kept working, "if my mom was having a rough day, he would go out and gather a bunch of flowers and bring then to her and then they would work on weaving them together. Sometimes I would even hear hin whispering promises to her. Sometimes silly things. Sometimes serious." She paused in her talking and looked up at him her head tilting some. Ravenpaw had always been right there for her. Right when she always needed someone. Like one of the promises her father had always made to her mother. 'I'll always be by your side you wipe away your tears and comfort you when the world seems too rough.' She purred some and leaned down weaving a few more sections together the crown starting to form. "He called them Flower Crown Promises," she said lightly giving one last tug on a stem that seemed to tighten the other forming the small flowery bundle.
She looked down at it and wiggled happily, beaming up at Ravenpaw. It wasnt perfect, but the crown they had made looked very colorful and alive surrounded by the blanket of snow around them. She watched him a moment then grabbed some of her leftover flowers and a few of his working diligently and quickly alone making a smaller piece. Male cats weren't always fond of crowns or flowers, and she didnt expect Ravenpaw to wear it back at the camp but she wanted to make her own promise. Lifting the small bunch of flowers in her jaws she shifted to his side and lightly placed her paws on his shoulder. Luckily he was nice and ducked his head so she could reach a little easier and she lightly placed the smaller crown around his left ear.
"Ravenpaw," she said sitting back down and looking at him, her green eyes glowing with happiness, "I promise that I wont hide my feelings from you anymore. That whenever you ask I will always be honest. That when I feel down....I promise that I will come to you. Because you always make me feel happy again."
She watched him and purred happily. She remembered asking her parents how they knew they were meant for each other. Maybe this was the happiness and comfort they had always talked about.
Word Count: (on phone so idk) Tags: Raven~ Notes: Such cute bbys
The black apprentice's brows knit together as he concentrated on being helpful to Mousepaw. Her small paws were able to weave the flowers together so delicately, all he could do was hold them down for her and try to keep his large paws out of her way. He watched with wonder as the crowns came together, ears pricked to listen to her explain why they were doing this. His heart thudded in his chest, almost to the point of being uncomfortable when he realized she was comparing them to her parents. To a couple. He gazed at Mousepaw's face when he thought she was too focused on the flowers to notice. Was that what he wanted? To be a couple? He busied himself with placing flowers. All he wanted right now was to savor this moment with her. He could worry about the details later. Besides, he had to pay attention to how she was weaving so that he could maybe surprise her with a crown that he had made himself one day. The thought put a smile on his face.
When they were finished, and she ducked away to work with the remaining flowers, he watched curiously. But he found he wasn't really watching what she was doing as much as he was just watching her. She was so pretty, Ravenpaw was sure he could busy himself the whole day with watching her. When she finally turned and presented the smaller crown she made, the black tom smiled. They would match. He ducked his head when she moved to place the crown around his ear to make it easier on her and couldn't help but purr as he listened to her promise.
Following suit, he gingerly grabbed the larger crown in his jaws and placed it on top of Mousepaw's head. "And I promise," he began, "to not wait so long to check on you if I think you're upset. I've been kind of dense these last few moons, but I promise to be there for you whenever you need me, no matter what." He nuzzled his nose against her cheek and lingered for a moment before settling down next to her. The patchy snow still left a few spots that weren't too unpleasantly wet to rest on. He gestured for her to lay next to him and willed his heartbeat to calm as the young pair settled in to watch the sun set. Tomorrow they would return to their Clan duties and life as normal, but for tonight they could just relax in the company of one another.
