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.
Ruepaw trotted into camp, a flowering sprig of comfrey hanging from his mouth like a hard-earned piece of fresh-kill. Slowing his pace, the tom moved leisurely toward the medicine cat’s den as the afternoon sun glistened above like a long-lost friend. While this leaf-bare had been as cold and cruel as any other, long nights without food and blistering snowstorms, it hardly compared to the leaf-bare of his birth.
His earliest memories were plagued with an onslaught of blizzards, hungry mouths, and unfortunate untimely deaths. Few redwood warriors made it to new-leaf on the other side. This time, however, he thought. The winds of leaf-bare were benevolent; and then he remembered the recent battle, the bloodshed -- and the tom revised his evaluation with a necessary addition. The winds of leaf-bare were benevolent, Lichenclan was not.
As he neared the medicine cat’s den, the tom glanced around for the familiar shape of Orchidshade, but the dark she-cat was nowhere to be found. She must be inside, he concluded as his stare traveled back to the hollow tree. Large, snaking roots crawled out of the forest floor and wrapped like tendrils around one another near the base, while the shadowy entrance of the den stretched across the entirety of the old tree like a gaping mouth. It must be nice, he remarked as he poked his head into the ancient den. The tom knew he’d rather sleep alone than next to a bunch of his loud-mouthed, nosy clan-mates. Sometimes, he fantasized about leaving clan-life altogether, journeying to the north and never looking back.
No den-mates, no wars, no loss.
“Orchidshade?” he meowed softly as his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness. The tom waited for a few seconds, straining to hear her caustic voice, but he was met with silence. Narrowing his gaze, the tom eased further into the den as he continued to look for her wicked blue stare, blinking in the shadows. Is she asleep? His eyes turned to her nest, but it was empty. With a sigh, he turned back toward the entrance. He had wanted to tell the she-cat that he had found a new patch of comfrey beneath the melting snow, a few paces east of the bear stones, but it looked like he’d have to wait.
Furrowing his brow, Ruepaw deposited the comfrey in its neat and orderly place next to the other herbs that eased pain, and then left the den as nonchalantly as he had entered. Head hung low, the tom didn’t realize his mistake until it was much too late.
There was a flash of tabby fur, and suddenly, he was in a tangled mess, sprawled across the forest floor, as a knocked over Smallpaw scrambled to her feet besides him. He had completely bowled her over like some brutish bear. Embarrassed, the massive black and white tom climbed back onto his paws and shot the small she-cat an apologetic glance. “Sorry,” he muttered, as he shook the mud from his coat.
Running a quick tongue over his shoulder, the tom smoothed his ruffled and dirtied fur as the she-cat hurried along toward Orchidshade’s den as if nothing had happened. “Oh, wait --” he blurted out, surprised by the loudness in his voice.. As she turned to cast him a sudden stare, he flattened his ears over his head and continued. “Uh, she’s not in there. Sorry.” Ruepaw didn’t know what Smallpaw wanted with the medicine cat, but he figured he could at least save her the trouble of a wasted trip.
Head cocked to the side, the tom eased a bit toward her, eyes curiously narrowed and meowed. “Did you need herfor something?”
Ever since her return from the journey to the Tribe, Smallpaw couldn’t stop thinking about Orchidshade. Of how the black she-cat exerted herself in helping them with the limited supplies that they had brought. Yet, she was able to ease another’s suffering and to diagnose the illness that plagued the Tribe. Smallpaw’s claws dug into her nest as she replayed the events from the journey in her head. Orchidshade was everything that Smallpaw thrived to be and that was the confidence that radiated off the medicine cat.
Her eyes narrowed as a strip of sunshine slipped through the tangled roots of the apprentice den. There had to have been a reason why Finchstar insisted that she joined them; an apprentice that had no business being there. Maybe, Starclan was trying to give her sign? She tossed the thought around, lost in her own little world.
After a moment of complete stillness the tabby jumped to her paws, ignoring the protest of her joints. She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes from the sudden brightness of the afternoon sun that shone brightly above the camp. As her vision cleared, she zoned in on the medicine cat den, her paws seemingly having a mind of their own as she padded quickly across the clearing.
She was so close; just a few more tail lengths and she would reach the gaping entrance. However, without warning she collided into a pillow of black and white instantly throwing her to the thawing ground. The wind was knocked out of her momentarily, but her mind was set, she had to get to Orchidshade, before… well before her confidence dwindled to nothing. She scrambled to her paws, ignoring the mud that now caked her mishap pelt.
This was what she wanted; it was within reaching distance. She opened her jowl to alert the medicine cat of her presence, but only a puff of breath left her. The tabby whipped her head around to look over her narrow shoulder, blinking almost owlishly at the large tom. Wait, is he talking to me? She glanced around her, noting that the clearing around them was completely deserted, except for them. Her ears twitched at the tom’s next words and her tail lowered in disappointment. Was this her answer?
She dragged her stare from the tom towards the empty den in front of her, oblivious to the tom’s movements. She jumped at his sudden question and glanced at him through her peripheral vision. She opened her mouth, but quickly snapped it shut. She didn’t want anyone to know about her desire to become Orchidshade’s apprentice, at least not until she’s accepted. If Orchidshade accepts her. She didn’t want rumors to spread, but most of all she didn’t want to hurt Loudstorm either.
She let out a soft sigh and shook her head. ”It’s n-nothing,” she stammered giving him a forced smile, ”I wasn’t feeling the best…I thought… Well, since I was with the Tribe that I should be…. cautious?” She furrowed her brows, as even she could hear the words come out more like a question then a believable excuse. Well, Smallpaw always knew that she couldn’t lie to save her own hide. She cleared her throat, ”I’ll just come back later.”
His brows raised momentarily as the small she-cat’s words settled over him like a warm, summer breeze, her tone delicately soft and nimble against his attentive ears. She was sick? Ruepaw cocked his head to the side as he studied her slender form, scanning her mottled coat for indications of disease or illness. His brows threaded in concentration. She didn’t look sick, he wondered -- but then again, she was with the tribe, like she said. The black and white tom continued staring at the she-cat, lost in thought, when suddenly she cleared her throat, announcing her departure as quietly as she had arrived with an unobtrusive tail flick.
“Wait,” he meowed hastily as the she-cat turned to leave. “If you’re sick from the tribe, maybe you shouldn’t return to the apprentices’ den.” The black and white tom took a few strides forward until he was next to her, their coats inches from touching, when a sudden bolt of static shock electrocuted the air between them like a lightning bolt. Startled, the tom bounced from the small she-cat, his cheeks flushing from embarrassment, as he bent to smooth the bristled fur across his flank. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to -- ”
His voice slowed, the words trailing from his tongue, as he tried to verbalize his intentions. What did he mean to do? The tom’s mouth hung open as he stared at the she-cat, his eyes slowly blinking. What could he do? Then he shot a contemplative look over his shoulder, studying the extensive herb room behind them. Maybe, he could treat her? His mind immediately abandoned the idea. It was idiotic. He wasn’t a medicine cat; and while he knew the herbs by name and some of their healing properties, he didn’t understand the complexities that went into a diagnosis -- let alone a treatment.
Still -- Orchidshade could take awhile and what if she was contagious?
His thoughtful stare returned to the small she-cat, his mouth threading into a thin line, and then he voiced his proposition with an awkward meow. “Um, well, what are your symptoms? I’ve learned a little about herbs from Orchidshade, and I might be able to help.” With a shrug, the black and white tom motioned clumsily toward the medicine cat’s den and then exhaled. He didn’t know a lot about the tabby she-cat or if she’d even want his novice assistance -- but he determined it was better to assess her illness now before it infected the entire clan.
The tom’s words halted her in her tracks and sent a chill down alone her spine. Going back to the apprentices’ den was exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to curl up in her nest and forget about this whole situation. Sadly, the tom had some common sense in him.
The she-cat turned back towards the large tom, their pelts mere inches from brushing into one another. Her eyes widen at the sudden shock that radiated from between them, and had her jumping back just as the tom did. She slowly blinked, watching as the tom tried smoothing down his long ruffled fur. Smallpaw was grateful that her short fur had no lasting effects from the static shock. However, she noticed that the mud from earlier was now dried into clumps. A flash of heat rose to her cheeks as she gave herself a quick shake to get rid of the offending filth from her person.
At the tom’s words of apology, Smallpaw simply shrugged. She wasn’t sure what to say, but her mind raced to fill in the sudden silence between them. She dug her claws into the solid ground trying to calm her nerves before chancing a glance at him. She blinked in confusion when she noticed that he was staring at her with such an intense gaze, which made her breath hitch.
Slowly, she let out a shaky breath when the tom looked away, his attention elsewhere for a moment. At that, the tabby took the opportunity to take a good look at the tom. She stared with unblinking eyes, and was amazed at just how expressive and handsome… She blinked, affectingly cutting off her thoughts from going any further.
When he turned back to her, she tore her gaze away, hoping he hadn’t noticed. Her shoulders sagged as the tom questioned her symptoms; this wasn’t supposed to happen. Can’t he just drop it? She bit down on her tongue as she hesitantly followed him into the den. ”Um, just the occasional cough and I woke up with a runny nose.” She murmured, appreciating the organized stock that were lined and bundled appropriately. ”But, really, I’m sure I’m fine.” She meowed coming to stand next to him, curious to see just how much he knew.
The massive black and white tom swiveled his ears back toward the smaller she-cat, just barely catching her softly murmured symptoms, as he eased into Orchidshade’s meticulously organized den. A cough and a runny nose, he mulled as his eyes readjusted to the thickening shadows. Greencough? His gaze drifted toward the lithe tabby, narrowing in thought, as he took in her seemingly healthy appearance. Maybe she was just at the beginning stages, he countered internally as his tail twitched nervously about the den. Shaking his head, Ruepaw flicked his stare back to the medicine cat’s herb storage, mentally running through his options.
There was catmint, he considered for a brief moment as his gaze hovered over the dried flowers, suddenly remembering his excursion with the other apprentices moons ago. A scowl settled over his face as he recalled the fog that had settled over him, numbing his senses until he felt utterly useless, his limbs spindly beneath his towering mass. Never again, he thought with a grunt. Not after what happened to the other apprentices. Shifting his gaze, he settled on a small huddle of berries the color of a male cardinal. Red elderberries, he remembered with a soft inhale.
The berries were rare in Redwoodclan territory, so when he had discovered them on a measly midday stroll back in leaf-fall, Orchidshade had gratuitously received them with an nonchalant nod. Did they cure greencough? The black and white tom cocked his head to the side as he tried to recollect the medicine cat’s arid remark. He could envision her mouth moving, an irritable look in her eye, as the sun sunk behind them, the air chilling with ice, leaf-bare on the horizon -- and then -- Yes! Greencough! He remembered it with a start.
Using his forearm, the tom reached forward and grasped a few berries between his toes. Three should be enough? Right? He thought as he released the berries from his claws and settled them in front of the tabby she-cat. Raising his brows, Ruepaw awkwardly cleared his throat and met her owlish stare. Her eyes are really big, he realized with a blush, his mouth wrestling to find his words.
“Um, Orchidshade told me this can cure greencough,” he meowed sheepishly as his eyes quickly returned to the three berries, their miraculous shade of red almost indistinguishable in the dark. “I think if you take three now, your cough should be gone by morning.” Swallowing, the tom nervously nosed the berries closer to her feet and shrugged, the blush returning to his cheeks. While he loved to learn about herbs and collect the information for his own amusement, the tom felt almost embarrassed to share his secrets -- and her closeness, the mere brush of her fur over his, her round, doe-like eyes, her readiness for his diagnosis -- it was a bit much for the usually isolated, introverted tom.
As the black and white silently pondered at the variety of assortments in front of them, Smallpaw’s own mind wondered. Almost against her will, her mind kept rewinding the events that happened on the island. Remembering the relief that Hemlock’s mother showed on her face, when she was able to take breath without difficulty. And the hope that hung in the air from the promise of no more deaths were to come that both Finchstar and Orchidshade declared before their departure. A promise that Smallpaw wished to help keep.
Lost in thought, Smallpaw didn’t notice the tom reaching into the stock. Only when he laid out three ruby red berries in front of him did she snap back to reality. Her ears twitched at the tom’s explanation, impressed at the tom’s basic knowledge of illnesses. He was able to pinpoint the illness that she had half-heartily given symptoms for. Maybe he too wanted to become Orchidshade’s apprentice? A lump form in the tabby’s throat at the thought.
Her gaze slid down to the elderberries as the tom nudged them toward her. He wanted her to take three of these? Smallpaw recalled Orchidshade commenting about elderberries being a cure for greencough. However, if not properly used they could be poisonous.
Her mouth lifted and a breath of a laugh escaped her, ”You’re correct about my cough being gone by morning, but so will I. If I remember correctly, too many of these can be poisonous.” She meowed feeling her shoulders relax. He’s not a smart about herbs as I feared.
”I think I’ll just take my chances and wait for Orchidshade, but thank you.” She smiled, lightly flicking her tail against his flank as she walked passed. ”And don’t worry, I’ll keep my distance from the apprentices’ den.” She meowed exiting the den, leaving Ruepaw to clean up the discarded berries and her to anxiously wait for the black medicine cat to return.
“Oh,” the black and white tom breathlessly exclaimed as a wispy, delicate chuckle escaped the she-cat’s chestnut colored mouth, his blush reddening across his face. The lithe tabby meowed then, correcting his diagnosis, her entire demeanor much more relaxed, at ease with their interaction. It was as if his foolish recommendation had cleared the nervousness from her like clouds dissipating after a haste, summer storm. “I-I’m sor -- ” he started, realizing his almost fatal mistake, but the small she-cat was already turning toward the entrance, her tail brushing lightly against his flank.
Where did she learn that? He wondered as he watched the she-cat leave the medicine cat’s den, his ears flattening over his head. Blinking, Ruepaw stared at the exit until the she-cat was entirely out of sight, and then he returned his attention to the three solemn berries near his feet. Who was she? The tom knew little about the she-cat other than that she had been born almost six moons after him, sometime in the summer, a litter born in an effort to increase their numbers after the deaths from the war. His brows threaded as he tried to recall memories, moments with the tabby she-cat, but his mind drew blank.
Was he so in his own world that he couldn’t even remember another clan-mate? The tom shook his head as he bent down to retrieve the berries. No, he knew his clan-mates, he thought with a sigh. He just actively avoided them -- his mind recollected his several, annoying den-mates -- but Smallpaw wasn’t one of them. She was quiet, introspective, not loud like the others. A small flutter resonated in his chest as he thought this, a feeling he had never felt before, and it startled him slightly. Did he? No, he shook his head, carefully returning the elderberries to their neat and orderly stock. Red elderberries, poisonous, the tom mentally checked as he turned on his feet, heading back to the den’s entrance.
Maybe -- and the tom glanced over his shoulder as he exited the den, searching for her small, nimble form -- Maybe, she was just as introverted as he was? His eyes hovered over Smallpaw, finding her on the other side of Orchidshade’s den, sitting near its overturned roots, her face scrunching with an emotion he wrestled to read. Was it determination? He wondered as he stared, watching her small body rise and fall with each meek, delicate breath.
The blush returned across his cheeks as he noticed his wandering gaze, and with another head shake, the tom turned away from the den, continuing his aimless amble in camp, head lost in his own inadequacies, and a certain, small, tabby she-cat.
