The Setting Sun {Open}

[Bluefeather]

Bluefeather!

The pale gray she-cat was surrounded in flowers that were already mostly dead, their once beautiful colors now dull and not as eye catching as she remembered they had been during new-leaf and green-leaf. The skies were about the same color as her fur, as if it was threatening to snow once more. It hadn't hit too hard yet, but she was worried about what was to come. What would happen if cats started dying? Was AshClan strong enough to make it through a leaf-bare that the elders had been talking about being one of the worst?

Her heart, despite telling herself that everything would be fine, and the Clan would be strong enough to pull through, was pounding in her chest, causing her eyes to grow wide. Questions all starting in 'what if' spun in her head, in an almost dizzying fashion. It took a long moment before she could get ahold of herself, and calm down. She should only worry about making sure that the Clan would be strong, not if they were or not. She should be back at the camp, doing her part as a Huntress. However, she couldn't seem to lift her paws to even carry her back toward the camp, much less manage to get there without falling over.

She let out a low growl and pushed herself up, shaking her head, her tail lashing out in annoyance. She would have to at least act strong for the Clan. This would be a hard leaf-bare, and they would need strong cats like herself to make sure they got through until new-leaf. While she wasn't a warrior, she was a huntress, and in the end, she would be just as important when it came to carrying the Clan out of these hard times. She didn't want to even think about the fact that they might lose kits, if it got too cold, or too hard to find food.

"I should probably get back to the camp" she murmured. However, she found herself sitting back down, her eyes locked onto the cloud covered sun as it began to slowly set. Once darkness spread over the sky, it would get to it's coldest point, and would stay that way until the sun rose again in the morning.

[x.yellowthorn.x]

Y E L L O W T H O R N

An icy wind cut across the vast meadow as a lone she-cat traversed across it. It wasn't unusual for her to be by herself- not many she-cats exactly respected her for her tom-like tendencies and choice to take the harsh path of a huntress, and, though rugged she-cats were accepted by some toms who wouldn't otherwise associate with she-cats other than for courting purposes, was shunned by those who thought that she-cats should stick to raising kits; fighting was a tom's job, or so the she-cat, Yellowthorn, had been told since a young age.

But this was the way of life for a huntress. Even though her kind wasn't exactly tolerated by many members of AshClan, there were still those young and free-spirited she-cats that looked up to her and the toms who wouldn't mind sharing a few words with her. And there were always the other huntresses. Though she tended to be strict with them as their self-proclaimed leader, she truly respected their wishes to live the daring life of a fighter, she just was bad at showing it. Maybe one day she'd swallow her pride and actually socialize. Just maybe...

It wasn't long before Yellowthorn caught sight of one of the younger huntresses, Bluefeather, staring into the setting sun. She was one of the less talkative she-cats of the clan, but the pale ginger saw no problem in that- talking led to confusion and arguments more times than not for a cat like herself, so she guessed that it was best to keep one's mouth shut. Wondering why she was out of camp this late on a cold leaf-bare evening, Yellowthorn padded up to her and casually inquired, "Why are you out this late? I was just heading back to camp." The sun was climbing further and further down the sky, sending bands of orange and red ambling over the frosty meadow, casting long shadows. This was certainly a beautiful sight, but one that could just as easily be beheld from the camp. Though it wasn't exactly late in the usual sense, all cats but members of the dusk patrol were usually heading to their dens at this time, and seeing as prey was getting scarcer and scarcer, the huntresses would be becoming more and more needed to supply for the clan. They needed their rest.

[Bluefeather]

Bluefeather!

Bluefeather only twitched her ears as she heard the paw steps of an approaching cat. However, by the faint scent carried on the ever changing direction of the wind, she could tell that it was Yellowthorn, the self proclaimed leader of the huntresses. Of course, while she didn't completely agree with the idea of having a leader, Yellowthorn wasn't a dictator, and that was all she could really ask for. She wasn't about to ask her to step down, because it would make it seem as if she wanted to take her place, and leadership was one of the last things she would ever want to worry about in harsh times as these. Bluefeather was wise for her age, and she wasn't about to let her mind do the talking, if she could play out the outcome, and didn't like it.

She slowly got up at the sound of the other she-cat's voice. It wasn't really all that late. However, she knew that it would have probably been best to stay in camp and rest for the time being. With leaf-bare upon them, they would need to be in top shape in order to carry the Clan with all the strength they could muster. "I don't know." she muttered, even though she realized it was only half truthful. She didn't really like the idea of lying, even a little bit. Not telling the whole story was the same thing, no matter how you looked at it. At least, it was how she felt.

A sigh escaped her and she picked her head up from looking at her paws, swinging it around to look at Yellowthorn, nothing but strength showing in her eyes. She wouldn't show the other she-cat that she was worried for the Clan's survival this leaf-bare. She wasn't about to tell any cat that she hung onto every word the elders told. In her heart, she believed that they were right. "I suppose I just wanted to be alone for a moment." she added in a quiet voice. Bluefeather wasn't timid. But she was thoughtful and wise, and because of this, she might come off as skittish. However, her vicious hunting skills would soon show them that they were wrong about her.

She blinked slowly. "Should we get to camp, then?" she asked. However, there was hesitation in her voice, as if she wanted to stay longer, and enjoy the skies ever changing colors as the sun went down slowly, and the stars spread out to twinkle gently upon the flowery meadow.

words; 429
muse; excellent
words changed; five
other; -grins-

[x.yellowthorn.x]

Y E L L O W T H O R N

Yellowthorn waited a moment before replying, as if she were mesmerized by the sun. All of the glorious colors, slowly growing darker, casting their indescribably beautiful glow over the landscape. Only the occasional twitch of her ears and a few nods told Bluefeather that she was listening, for it seemed her entire gaze was on the sun.

With one last twitch of her torn ear, Yellowthorn started to reply. "Yes," the huntress started, then paused for a moment before continuing. She was off in her own world, wondering when Feverstar would first call for the huntresses' services. Every leaf-bare, when prey was scarce, the huntresses took on a new role. Before, they supplemented the work of warriors, doing nothing more than casual hunting; the clan didn't believe in making she-cats do most of the work. But in leaf-bare, when the warriors were tired from working hard all year and couldn't find any prey in places surrounding the camp, the huntresses were called upon to travel as far as they could, scouting for even the scrawniest piece of prey. Sometimes, they only took a few hours to find a couple of mice, but other times, in took a few days. This is why a huntress had to be rugged. To laugh in the face of danger. To be able to survive. How else could they hope to be able to live away from the clan for days on end with little food and in blisteringly cold temperatures? Sometimes, they followed prey for hours, when they were desperate.

Yellowthorn wondered not only when the first hunt of the season would begin, but when her last one would be. Though she wasn't exactly old, no more than five years old, but the life of a huntress was harsh. They often retired in their eighth year, maybe a bit later, when they couldn't hunt as skillfully as in their youth. Then, they usually settled down and found a mate, maybe having kits if they were able. Or they become elders, telling stories of their youth to younger cats, or maybe nannies if they liked kits. Yellowthorn didn't know what her retirement would bring, but she did know that it was a good three years away. She'd have to concentrate on her clan until then.

After a long pause, Yellowthorn added, "I'm sure they're wondering where we are. Only warriors are usually out after sunset. We should head back." With that, she started to pad off in the direction of the camp, looking back to see if Bluefeather was following.

word count;; 425
muse;; Started off a little low, but once I got into it, I did better.
comments;; Hmm, this site's been pushing me to my limit. Waaay past my usual two medium paragraphs. I like~

[Bluefeather]

Bluefeather!

Bluefeather let out another sigh. Who was she to argue with Yellowthorn? The other she-cat was probably right anyways. Warriors were usually the only one's out after sunset, and even then, it was usually for a patrol or something of the sort. They weren't really out that late unless they had to be. No one was, really. There was always some kind of reason. But Bluefeather hesitated for a moment, looking back at the place where she had been sitting, some flowers and grasses bent down from sitting in the same spot for so long. She had to wonder if she would ever be able to watch a sunset alone without having to worry about going back to camp. However, she didn't dare voice this, worrying that she might sound disloyal. It was the code her Clan lived by. She-cat's were not made warriors. It was as simple as that.

"Alright, Yellowthorn." she murmured, one more sigh escaping her. Casting one last longing look back to the place she had been sitting for about an hour, she quickened her pace to match Yellowtorn's. It would be a bit before they reached the camp, and it would be nice to have some cat's company. She was usually more of a loner, but that was because usually other cat's preferred to talk to other cat's who would actually comment and give their input. Bluefeather preferred speaking as little as possible. It wasn't because the warriors had her beat down. No, it was far from it. Bluefeather was wise, and she didn't feel the need to speak words that would just float into the air, not even recognized by some cats. Needless words were just that. Needless.

Her ears flicked as the wind once again took another direction, this time coming right toward the two she-cat's faces. The wind, in short, annoyed her to death. She hated it. It was bitter cold, and made her feel weaker then she knew she was. In fact, for the first few weeks of leaf-bare, she would manage to stay as strong as possible. However, after that, she would succumb to hunger and weariness, and would fall out just like everyone else would eventually would. But for now, and even afterward, she would need to put on a mask of strength for the whole Clan to see. When Warriors and Huntresses alike were worried, the whole Clan would worry as well. This was something that was not needed as much as needless words, in her mind, were not needed.

"Yarrow, keep our Clan safe." she whispered a small prayer, carried off by the wind. However, her faith told her that her words would not go unheard, and that Yarrow was really keeping an eye on AshClan, and would help then through these hard times. "When do you think the first long hunt will start?" she questioned. However, she gave no clue that it was directed to Yellowthorn. Though one could assume that it was. She was the only one here, and clearly it wasn't a continuation of a prayer to Yarrow.

words; 520
muse; just dandy
words changed; five
other; thanks for roleplaying with me. it's loads of fun.

[x.yellowthorn.x]

Y E L L O W T H O R N

Keeping a steady pace, Yellowthorn trekked onward towards camp. The sun was quickly disappearing past the horizon, and the breezes felt colder and colder, but her pace remained unchanged. There was no rush to get to camp; the clan wouldn't be too worried if they came in a bit late. It only mattered that they were already on their way. If they'd stayed through the whole sunset, they'd surely get back to camp after their "curfew". Of course, they had no official curfew- they could have stayed all night if they had wanted- but how responsible would that be? They'd be able to get away from camp once they started leaving on hunting trips, there was no rush now.

After the two she-cats had been traveling for a while, Bluefeather asked her opinion on when the first hunting trip would start. Of course Yellowthorn couldn't give an exact answer, but she still tried to. Her pace slowing slightly, the ginger she-cat thought for a moment before replying, "It usually starts about a week or two after the first snowfall, from what I've experienced. It shouldn't be too long from now," and that was what she truly hoped for.

Any tom could catch a few voles, which is what the huntresses did from newleaf to leaf-fall. However, it took the determination and power of a huntress to spend days on end tracking large animals such as foxes, and sometimes even badgers, enduring hunger and dehydration. Yellowthorn couldn't wait to get back to the hard, yet satisfying hunts that she lived for. Most cats wouldn't be able to survive the ordeals that huntresses went through on a daily basis in leaf-bare, but Yellowthorn had for five years of training and fighting. She twitched her left ear, remembering how she and only one other she-cat had taken down a large dog fox, the hunt in which she had lost half of her ear. It was worth it though; the fox saved half of the clan from starvation. The pride that swelled in her when her ravenous clan-mates saw their catch would be something she would never forget. She lived to hunt.

word count;; 358
muse;; Medium, but gradually getting higher :3
comments;; -fluffs her fur-

[Bluefeather]

Bluefeather!

Snow. It was such a simple word. White flakes fell down upon the earth. First described, a cat would never fear it. In fact, they might laugh. However, once told the stories of how cold and bitter it was, as well as the sickness and starvation it caused, a cat would think twice about laughing at the fear snow caused. However, it gave the Huntresses something to live for. They would track down large prey for days on end. They sometimes didn't get so much as a scrawny piece of fresh-kill to even share between the large patrols for days. But in the end, the large kill would feed the whole Clan, and a surge of pride would feel the patrol knowing that without them, the Clan might have died of starvation. But just because the supply of food by the Huntresses didn't keep sickness at bay during the coldest season of the year. Green-cough, unknown illnesses, open wounds, lack of herbs, and exhaustion could take over the camp at any time, and only the strong can pull through.

Bluefeather shook her head, trying to get rid of the morbid thought's that filled her head. She wondered if other cat's got this frightened that leaf-bare was here, or if they just cast it off like it was nothing. If she was the only one, did it make her weaker then the others, or stronger? What if the Huntresses catch came too late for some cats, or what if the snow caused a large amount of cats to fall sick? Another thought struck her mind. The Huntresses were alone. So if they fell sick, there would be no medicine cat for them. If they fell sick, would they be left behind? He considered asking Yellowthorn about this, though continued to keep her fears to herself. It wasn't time to act like this. Once again she would have to put on a mask for her Clan, and carry on like she wasn't afraid.

"It'll be hard to catch anything this leaf-bare......" she murmured. It was true, so there was no doubt in her mind that there would be several times that they would have to be gone for days to catch bigger prey for the Clan to survive the harsh leaf-bare. What would they have to take down? A badger? Perhaps a fox? What about anything bigger? Would the Huntresses have to take down something bigger for the Clan to survive? She had been only in one leaf-bare, and hadn't been a too good hunter at the time, as it had been when she was made a Huntress, and the leaf-bare wasn't as hard as this one was supposed to be. "What's the biggest thing you've caught?" she asked, curiosity edging her voice.

words; 465
muse; excellent
words changed; five
other; It's always five words. -growls-

[x.yellowthorn.x]

Y E L L O W T H O R N

Yellowthorn nodded her agreement to Bluefeather's statement- this leaf-bare would be a harsh one. And with that came many challenges, even for a well-seasoned huntress like herself. There had been too many hunts where many she-cats left and only few returned, and none of those had been during a leaf-bare near as harsh as this- it hadn't even snowed much yet and already there were many nights when warriors and huntresses had empty bellies! What would the hunt bring? Who would die? Would she die? No, she couldn't worry like this. She was one of the most experienced huntresses. She needed to have a clear train of thought, to keep cool, to be strong for the others.

Shaking her worries aside, Yellowthorn pondered Bluefeather's question. She had been on many hunts, and had captured many large animals, but she didn't know which one was biggest. She scanned her mind for all of her large catches- a badger, several foxes, and even a lynx cub as big as her!- before replying. "I don't know what was biggest, but I've helped catch a badger, quite a few foxes, and a young lynx about as big as I was at the time, but my most memorable catch was when I was a younger huntress. I believe it was my second year after ending my apprenticeship." She paused for a moment before continuing, trying to remember the event.

"Another she-cat and I had been separated from the main group. We were hot on their scent trail when we scented something else- a fox. Expecting it to be an easy catch, we followed the scent. However, it had to be the biggest dog fox I'd ever seen before! We were going to go try and find the group so they could help us kill it when it snapped at me, grabbing onto my left ear." She twitched her tattered ear, indicating what had happened. Nothing needed to be said, it was self-explanatory. "In the end, we killed it, thanks to the other she-cat and my long teeth and claws. The other group found us, helped find some cobwebs for our injuries, and started back to camp." With that, she continued walking. The unmistakable scent of AshClan was growing slightly stronger. They couldn't be too far from the camp now.

word count;; 384
muse;; Getting higher!
comments;; Yup, five is your lucky number! (btw: dog fox= male fox and lynxes are now extinct in Britain, though they weren't in the 19th century)

[Bluefeather]

Bluefeather!

Bluefeather listened to Yellowthorn's story with interest. She could just imagine Yellowthorn and some unknown she-cat getting lost from the group. Perhaps they were a bit worried that they would never see AshClan again. She imagined the smell of fox, and the trek to get to where it stopped. She could just see the large dog fox and could feel it's sharp fangs pierce her ear. She could hear it's yelps, barks and growls as the two she-cat's fought bravely, and the relief when the rest of the group found them. She couldn't help but remember her first leaf-bare because of this. It had been harsh, but not as harsh as this one.

She had been walking with the rest of the group. However, her thoughts trailed elsewhere and once she caught the scent of prey, she followed it, expecting the other's to see her and follow. It had just been a small thrush. Nothing they could bring back to camp. However, for a moment, she was frightened that she wouldn't get back to the group. Being a younger she-cat, and a new Huntress, she wasn't sure if she would be able to track the others. Slowly she made her way back to the group after the moon had risen high in the sky. Her fear had been great, but she was happy to be back. She had never made the same mistake again afterward, afraid that the next time it happened, she wouldn't be able to return. Now she was worried for the new Huntresses going through their first leaf-bare. One like this, as young as they were, wouldn't be easy.

"I'm worried for the new ones. Like Foxtail. I'm not sure how well they'll do." she said. Her voice, as always, was rather quiet, and traveled along with the wind that was now at the she-cat's backs. Once it started snowing, and they were sent out, she wasn't sure if they would have an easy time picking up scents after the snow and the wind had wisped them away. It might even cause complications. Would it also hinder them from getting back home once they caught something? She was friends with Foxtail, and knew about her relationship with her mother, so what would her mother and uncle say once they knew that she would be going out in her first leaf-bare hunt this leaf-bare?

"We're all going to have harsher conditions this leaf-bare. I wonder how many shall come home....." she trailed off. This was a common topic among Huntresses, so she wasn't afraid to express how she felt about this certain thing. It wasn't viewed as weak. Just that she was concerned for her fellow Clanmates. There was no telling how many she-cat's would go on the hunting trip, and come back with wounds. Or worse; not at all. She wasn't sure how she would react if she found that cat's like Yellowthorn or Foxtail didn't return. They were excellent hunters, and the Clan couldn't afford to lose them. Herself however...... it was a different story.

words; 515
muse; alright for now
words changed; eight
other; That's just great. They were stupid mistakes too. Like my 'H' key keeps getting stuck. -_-'

[x.yellowthorn.x]

Y E L L O W T H O R N

Yellowthorn didn't speak for a moment, pondering Bluefeather's words. She too was worried for the younger huntresses. There had been too many hunts that Yellowthorn had embarked on that could've easily been her last, and those were often in her later years. This was a harsh leaf-bare, and there would be a harsh hunt to come. The younger huntresses would have to obey the older ones for their survival, there was no denying that, something that stubborn Foxtail didn't seem to like much. They'd be lucky to come back alive, that was sure.

After a few moments of thinking, she spoke. "Dunno, Bluefeather. We can only hope that we all come back alive. I'd hate to see Sedgetooth's reaction if something happened to Foxtail." Her words had justification. There wasn't a soul in AshClan that didn't know how much Sedgetooth loved Ashenrose and Foxtail- more than he could ever love any other she-cat, that was for sure. He would be crushed if one of them was injured, and driven to madness if one was slaughtered. She wasn't really close to him, since he didn't really approve of huntresses, but she wanted what was best for him all the same, and he might do something irrational if anything happened to either of his kin.

The two were getting even closer to the camp, and the almost fully submerged sun told her that it was a good thing. They would surely arrive before nightfall at this rate, so the clan wouldn't have to wonder where they were for too long. They might even be able to relax a little before leaving for their dens. Maybe visit with the queens or something. Not that they would like it; most nannies thought that huntresses were bad influences on young she-kits, especially ones with as many scars as Yellowthorn. It was no surprise that she loved nothing more than hunting. It was all she could do.

word count;; 321
muse;; High, but I'm running out of things to post about. That's why this post is short..
comments;;