Google dot com says the traditional gift for a four year anniversary is fruit & flowers?? How festive! In honor of our fourth year on the world wide web, we are requesting bouquets and fruit baskets or cash donations to the whip-a-rain-fund 😌 Oooooorrr we guess...alternatively...we can put on a big, month-long celebration featuring a warm-and-fuzzy event, scavenger hunt, a raffle drawing, and a freakin' prize wheel??! See the September Announcements for more information, and don't forget to check out the September Patrols too!
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.
Snow had failed to fall but the air was bitterly cold. Lungs burning as they tightened with each breath. Wavefrost relished it though, taking in a deep breath as she padded along the border between LichenClan and RedwoodClan. Steam billowed from her maw as she took in the scents. It had not been long since Holykit and Sacredkit had blessed their clan and while Wavefrost did not like being too far away for too long she did enjoy the occasional patrol. Whether it was solitary or with Falconfire, all she knew was she need to stretch her legs! Luckily the kits were old enough now that she could leave them for longer periods of time. Today they trained with their father while she enjoyed some fresh air.
Pale yellow eyes narrowed at the tall tree line across the border. The molly was basking in the day while calmly pacing the border. It felt like it had been far too long since she’d taken up her duty to drive out the heathens that plagued their world. Those beasts! She thought, remembering the silver she cat who’d slipped from her grasp in the battle. StarClan, please deliver that heathen maggot to me. Let me be the one to send her back to the Dark Forest. The molly prayed, claws flexing as she watched knowing someone would eventually show. And StarClan listened.
Although the cat to appear in her line of sight was unfortunately not the silver molly from the battle, it was still a delivery. Wavefrost growled deeply, bristling her long silver pelt. Walking dangerously close to the border, a white and ginger feline had been the one to appear. She was smaller than Wavefrost but she held an air of anger about her. She seethed when she walked, fumes radiating off of her. Her anger would make her a weaker opponent. “Heathen!” She yowled furiously, though she remained stationary. The molly met glanced up meeting her gaze. Her eyes were filled with fury and pain. “One step further and StarClan will bless me with your blood.” Wavefrost spat hatefully as she raced up to face off with the RedwoodClan queen.
[attr="class","sbox"]Daffodilshimmer frequented this spot still.
Even after, even when she had watched the most horrific thing happen here, she still came back. Perhaps out of habit, perhaps from some sense of obligation or merely only her haze of mourning, she oft found herself stood here. In the thick of the territory, right betwixt the birch and redwoods. Sometimes it was in the middle of the night, sometimes in the afternoon, the light filtering in and turning all snow-laden surfaces into gold and nectar. It was as though her paws could not bring themselves to let the path they knew by heart fade to memory.
But she hardly blamed them. That was a hard thing to do when nobody knew you were mourning the love of your life and it was hard to find the means to go on when all you thought of was the very last sight of your mutilated dearly beloved. Once, while she stood here, she imagined that she was looking at the sprawled out phantom figure of Chicorypelt, blood still freshly dripping from the slits in his neck, gossamer webs of viscera hanging and catching the light with their slick, wet-red dew.
She did not see it again after that and she was thankful for that.
A sharp, sudden growl broke her thoughts, Daffodilshimmer lifted her crown to meet the sound and found a beautiful silver torbie facing her. Fury coated her pretty face though and Daffodilshimmer raised her hackles in response. She was smaller than the other, but the moment she had placed eyes onto her form, a kind of potent anger began to boil in the ginger tabby’s chest. “I am no heathen,” She spat back.
In these moments, her mind was cloudy. She did not think of her kits when she moved. She did not think of her sister. She only saw the torbie queen and placed another paw down, deliberately. Challengingly.
A smirk played on Wavefrost lips and her eyes narrowed at the molly. Her pale cream white fur was patched with ginger tabby markings which immediately bristled at the sight of her. Good she thought. But even bristled out, the heathen was smaller than herself. Her own pelt began to rise along her spine, tail lashing. The other felines ears were pinned and tailed lashing as well. She eyed the she cats paws as she stepped forward in challenge, yet Wavefrost wavered at the border. “You are not of LichenClan and that makes you a soldier of the Dark Forest. Heathen.” she growled back. She turned and paced. She wouldn’t cross the border, but her blood rushed and made her restless.
The torbie queen briefly wondered what her mate would do in this situation. She knew though. Falconfire would attack. Wavefrost was not quite as forthright in her dues. Especially now with new leadership ruling their clan. StarClan only knew what Yarrowstar and those traitors would do to her if she made the first move. Minnowstar may have gone mad, her soul being blackened by the Dark Forest… but she also would never punish one for doing their faithful duty and ridding the world of these creatures. This heathen needed to be taken care of though.
The RedwoodClan mollys fury was thick and heavy, so palpable it was like a weight tugging at Wavefrost, pulling her from her thoughts. “My husband usually enjoys patrolling this border but today... its my turn.” she meowed, her tone dark and taunting. Something seemed to flash in the mollys eyes. “Low and behold, StarClan has blessed me with you.” she growled, her head lowering menacingly. The tips of her paws brushed the border line as she braced herself.
[attr="class","sbox"]The other molly mirrored Daffodilshimmer rather quickly. She began to bristle and puff out her pelt and thrash her tail. But there was a sense to it that she was mocking the younger queen. In those bright ambers lay something more grounded, if one could call it that. Her eyes were not speckled with frenzy like the RedwoodClanner’s, interlaced with grief and a loss of rationality. They held a sense of purpose and pride and intent to deliver on the promise she was making to her beloved ancestors as she readied herself. She was mocking Daffodilshimmer because in a sense, perhaps she knew already that this fight would be in her favor. The torbie queen moved restlessly, called her a heathen. Daffodilshimmer stepped over the border in a single moment’s breath and then she was moving like a cat possessed.
Perhaps she was shrugging on Gorseflame’s angered spirit, as her paws flew out and roughly shoved the queen to the snow-covered ground. It kicked up as Daffodilshimmer and the other she-cat grappled on the ground. “I am no heathen,” the cream tabby spat back quietly. “StarClan smiles upon me kindly, I have been blessed with a good life.” The words toppled out of her mouth quickly into a torrent that became nearly unintelligible.
In a fit a fury, words spilled from the Redwoodclan mollys mouth and at those words, all Wavefrost could do was smirk and steady herself. Good she thought a heartbeat before the she cats leaped. She was ready when the white and ginger feline launched herself at Wavefrost but even as prepared as she was for the attack, she was not quite prepared for the ferocity behind it. She may be smaller than herself but when she slammed into her, she slammed into her. It actually caught the torbie queen off guard for a moment. Had she not been so furious about the tackle she might have had a moment to be mildly impressed. She felt the molly slam her to the ground, the prick of claws tips making their way through her thick pelt. The two crashed to the ground in a fit of ears splitting yowls and hissing, fur flew as they toppled over the border.
With her attack, it gave Wavefrost everything she needed to retaliate. As the two rolled around in a frenzied state, Wavefrost managed to find her large white rear paws underneath the molly, and she pushed hard into the she cats soft underbelly thrusting her away. She panted lightly but smiled at the Redwoodclanner, her yellow eyes glinting a mocking hatred. Her tail lashed and her ears were pinned but instead of attacking she gave the molly a ‘woah is me’ look before speaking “StarClan smiles upon me kindly…” she mocked the mollys words in a whiny tone “… I have been blessed with a good life.” she continued, rolling her tongue out as if she’d gotten bile in her mouth. “They don’t smile too fondly on cats around this border” she snarled and with claws outstretched she leaped at the molly without warning.
Her goal had been the throat. It was always the throat. Yet taking the life of a heathen seemed to always elude her. The molly was faster than she even though she was superior in size and instead of raking her claws across that white throat, they raked against the white and ginger patched rib cage. Wavefrost could see blood welling up at the claw marks but not nearly as much as she would have liked. Her annoyance with the molly was palpable.
qC2VGANK1d20+2 1d12
Attack: Claws vs Ribcage | Attack:13 Damage:9 | HP 48/60 - "When You Pray and God Delivers"
[attr="class","sbox"]Daffodilshimmer’s opening move held the high ground for a brief, fleeting moment. It was quick, one minute she was pressing the large, beautiful torbie flush to the ground and reveling in the shocked, quiet fury of her face. She’s taken aback. Was she not expecting a fight after asking for one ? The cream tabby merely wondered. Is this the way of which he came from ? Are all LichenClan cats of this irrational, terrible ilk ? Did she want to know, truly ? Daffodilshimmer couldn’t answer that. Or rather, she did not have the time to wonder if she did. They flew across into the birch tree grove in a twisted mess of limbs and fur and spitting maws. The slammed and toppled and then the molly underneath her paws erupted into hateful shrieks.
She mocked her then, echoing her words back with a thick, glossy layer of hatred and disgust covering the words now. Daffodilshimmer only looked blankly at the she-cat’s face. In her moons of experiencing the seasons, she had not come across any who bore such a carrion-food heart such as this cat. Was there really such hatred stewing in the caverns that this was the result ? A queen, a mother even, picking fights at the border and eagerly awaiting the release of blood from claw ?
The queen moved swiftly, knocking Daffodilshimmer from where she had been perched, but she was small and agile and there was a snagging of claws on the furs of the delicate column of her throat, before they swished through the air and found again the furs and flesh of her ribcage. She cried out and reflexively, the RedwoodClan she-cat struck a paw out and slashed at the LichenClanner’s face.
Pain seared through the LichenClan queens face as the ginger and white molly’s claws struck out, slicing across her pretty cheek. She could feel the perfectly linear wounds stinging as blood gently welled. Wavefrost wiped a large paw over her cheek, smearing the small amount of blood across her paw and nose. Anger seeped through her body, rolling off her in waves. She growled lowly, her eyes narrowed into the smallest of slits. She swiftly lashed out her blood stained paw, slashing it across her enemies opposite cheek in equal retaliation, but she did not full out attack. She held back. Wavefrost was not even sure why she held back. She was bigger than this she cat, she had more conviction than this molly. So why did she feel the need to hold back, to smile and taunt. It was something beyond her control.
So instead of launching herself and finishing the job, Wavefrost found herself taking a few small condescending steps back. She quickly paced back and forth in front of the other feline as she recovered from the slash. Her ears remained pinned and her tailed lashed with continued hatred. “Is that all you can muster? I am disappointed” she growled. “Then again, this border holds such… disappointment.” she continued with a sarcastic sigh. “My mate recently had to… remove a traitor from our midst… right here…” she meowed casually, flicking her tail at the border “at this very border.” she continued. “Falconfire will surely be pleased to learn that I have rid the island of one more…” she purred darkly before leaping at the feline. Yet Wavefrost had not realized the words she’d spoken would ever have an impact nor had she seen the fury light up the Redwoodclan mollys pretty amber eyes.
OhiRZBh71d20+2 1d12
Attack: return cheek slash | Attack:6 Damage:9 | HP 42/60 - "When You Pray and God Delivers"
[attr="class","sbox"]Slowly and surely a realization crept into the RedwoodClan queen’s mind. It came just as the other’s paw came slashing at her and struck her fiercely. Daffodilshimmer watched as the paw receded back down and with it went tufts of cream fur. She gasped, shocked. The torbie queen smiled up at her, sickeningly, and with such a look in her eye. Daffodilshimmer was silent and still and stiff and utterly unable to speak. “Remove a traitor ?” It came out a whisper, almost entirely inaudible. But then her mind was flashing in pictures and glimpses and snapshot fragments until she was tearing up and reliving that night over and over and over. A traitor. Removed. By this very border. And she could think of only her beloved and his snow-white pelt and the edges curled with blood and the furious sound of another tom’s voice. It fell together like a puzzle, the sound of each piece clicking into place like a death march in her ears. Her gaze grew hazy and thick with grief for a moment, looking far off into the distance. She seemed lost in her mind.
And then it seemed she had lost her mind.
Daffodilshimmer let out a ferocious noise and then launched herself at the other she-cat. It was unclear if she had been aiming for the throat or what really, but she landed abruptly and abrasively at the massive torbie’s shoulder and teeth sank into flesh, satisfied with making contact of any kind. She grappled for purchase, paws flailing wildly and teeth flashing as she scrambled and thrashed aggressively.
Wavefrost was too busy enjoying herself that she never heard the words slip from the Redwoodclan mollys mouth. Instead, the only thing Wavefrost had time to notice was the she cats face, twisted into a venomous, hateful snarl. A surprised yowl that escaped her own lips as a force suddenly crashed into her. The cream and ginger she cats eyes blazed with something Wavefrost was not sure she’d ever seen before. This was a rage, a fury that the silver queen had not been expecting. What had she said? She did not have time to ponder it as the two fell into a flurry of claws and teeth. They spat at each other with hatred but then a sudden flash of pain blurred the queens vision. An ear splitting screech ripped from her lungs as sharp fang tore into her shoulder. The other she-cat, tore and shook furiously and Wavefrost could feel the teeth tearing at her muscles. She yowled again seething in fury. Her yellow eyes turned to slits. She had to get this cat off of her!
The large torbie queen quickly threw herself into the base of the nearest tree trunk, managing to dislodge the she cat. Blood flowed from the wound, soaking through her pelt and staining her pretty silver pelt a copper hue. Wavefrost gave herself a shake, her pelt bristling. She turned on the she-cat who was on her again in a flash, spitting and snarling. This time she was ready and as the other she-cat pelted at her, she leaped at her, wrapping her paws around the mollys neck. She did everything she could to ignore the pain her shoulder was in but still her teeth clenched so hard she thought they’d surely crack.
And so Wavefrost held the molly there, in the lock, using her bigger size to her advantage as she used her hind claws to lash out where ever they could. She growled deeply, attempting to to bite the molly but merely grazing her with the tips of her fangs as the Redwoodclan cat struggled to break Wavefrost hold. The cat was moving too much, and she couldn’t get a bite in. The queen held the she-cat for as long as she could but she couldn’t ignore the slicing pain in her shoulder and with a hiss she released the heathen. Without giving her much time to think, Wavefrost dove for mollys front leg, fangs bared.
eAws1iRK1d20+2 1d12
Attack: headlock + back claw slashing | Attack:15 Damage:11 | HP 23/60 - "When You Pray and God Delivers"
[attr="class","sbox"]The torbie queen yowled, as if surprised by the force which had risen in Daffodilshimmer upon hearing such terrible, disgusting news. Her chest pounded with it, her mind was full of it. Her ears howled with the sound of it. It was an all consuming and obliterating kind of feeling which raged within her upon putting two and two together and coming to learn that this pretty tortoiseshell queen was the mate of the tom who had slain Chicorypelt at the border. How the knowledge had soured her, brought out a rage and ferocity which she could only ascribe to her late brother. In this moment, her paws and fangs were not moving of their own accord, but being led by Gorseflame’s. It was the only rational explanation for how Daffodilshimmer, she who had never been so ferocious in her life, could suddenly take to such violence so swiftly.
Her thrashing came to halt nearly as soon as it had begun. The other she-cat threw the small cream tabby off, Daffodilshimmer’s back hitting the trunk of the tree, all of the air in her chest being knocked right out of her. She took a gasping breath, but two large silvery paws cut off the attempt. The LichenClan queen held her there and Daffodilshimmer wondered if she might die there too, just like her mate. The grip was unyielding, even as her flailing started to slow. The queen’s paws held her down until suddenly they didn’t. Abruptly they lifted and air flooded into her chest again, just in time to see the queen’s jaws diving down onto her foreleg.
Daffodilshimmer yowled and then, on instinct, slammed her head into the torbie’s, the pain outweighed by the satisfying crack as their skulls collided.
Before teeth could meet meaty flesh, a sudden force slammed into her skull. For a moment her ears rang and all Wavefrost could hear was the cracking sound over and over. Her eyes instinctively squeezed shut. Images flashed in her mind. Her mate, her children, her clan… that hedgehog hearted leader of theirs. A cat with no passion and no faith in charge of their clan. She wondered if she would be able to open her eyes again as the pain throbbed through her head and the ringing continued. She wondered if she’d die here today. She couldn’t… she wouldnt! Her kits were not yet apprenticed. The last thing she would do is leave them before they were ready. Not while her clan rested in the paws of a traitor and his band of heathens. Attempting to open her eyes, they crossed immediately as she staggered back from her opponent, pelt bristling.
She yowled in fury, slashing out blindly but her claws met empty air. She shook her head but it only brought on more pain. “You wretched fox!” she spat. Wavefrost vision began to clear and her hearing returned rapidly but the pain remained and a queasiness lingered in a way that she was not comfortable with. Beyond the pain, the torbie queen could feel her muscles aching and she was growing tiring. This stupid molly was under her skin though. She felt at a crossroads – continue and risk death or retreat and risk damnation? Her children still needed guidance… but they had their father who was LichenClans greatest warrior. StarClan would help her guide them, even in the afterlife.
Wavefrost flattened her ears once more and faced the molly. She would keep her promise to her ancestors and rid the land of this dark forest creature even if it meant her own life.
lvBZRVjD1d20+2 1d12
Attack: slashing - FAILED| Attack:3 Damage:4 | HP 13/60 - "When You Pray and God Delivers"
[attr="class","sbox"]Daffodilshimmer panted and heaved like a badger, her body twisted over the ground onto she was no longer on her back and so vulnerable. She watched, eyes wild and wide, as the queen recoiled and then shook and stumbled from the force of the blow. It was a victory which rang hollowly, given that the torbie twice her size could only be knocked backwards a few steps by a scrambling move. A dirty trick, even. It felt as though the spirit of her brother stood beside her crouched and hagged form, muttering under his breath in the way he always did, clucking like a mother hen, about that. She hoped, under that worrying, there was pride.
The queen regained her senses in an eruption of fury. She swang her limbs wildly and spat and hissed like a fox that had been bitten by a snake. She snarled her pretty face and tossed out more vile words. Daffodilshimmer merely peered at her, still tensed up and frozen. The furs along her spine stood up. The milk-scent lingering on the other she-cat was striking. Why do you fight for fun ? Think of your babies. She thought of her own and it was enough to ignite the flame of fear in her chest. She blinked.
Unceremoniously then, Daffodilshimmer leapt up, and darted back across the border and into the brush. It greeted her with the warm and comforting smell of home and she rolled in it thoroughly to cover the smell of a short-lived but tense border skirmish.
Wavefrost stood panting, staring in surprise as the smaller ginger and white queen suddenly took off into her own territory. She had been exuding so much fury that Wavefrost had fully expected her to attack again. Instead, the feline skittered off into her woods like a mouse fleeing claws. Most would probably be relieved by the end of the skirmish, eager to return home to lick their wounds but not her. The torbie queen found herself even more furious.
She lashed her tail staring out into the thicket where the RedwoodClan molly had retreated into. How badly she wanted to chase the heathen down but it would mean rushing into unknown territory where she could easily run into a patrol. She was no longer in the condition to attempt to take on a RedwoodClan patrol on their own territory.
Still Wavefrost watched the area closely. There was no movement, not even a fluttering of grass tendrils. Her eyes moved from the ground to the trees. Those tree licking cowards loved to hover in the trees just like the squirrels they were; but there no sign of her opponent. “Coward…” she hissed as she turned away. Frustration and disappointed surged through her. That was the second RedwoodClan cat to escape her claws. To escape their inevitable fate. She’d failed twice. Twice! Her pretty feathered silver tail usually stood up high in the air but it dragged in the dust as she made her way home.
