Post by Fireflake on Aug 19, 2019 7:55:22 GMT
Mantisclaw's chest was heavy, both from the smoke that had filled her lungs as she escaped the fire, and from the later news that her brother Hornstrike hadn't been so lucky. She’d been carrying out her duties, and acting strong as ever most of the time, but it didn’t feel right. There was no way to act like the fire wasn’t a big thing, even as her paw-pads healed over and her breathing issues were soothed by a combination of rest and unpalatable herbs. Poultices were still lathered over patches of her legs where the fur wouldn’t grow back right, or maybe at all. Images of cool scars and stories flickered in her mind, then images of her distraught family and clan.
Mantisclaw dragged her paws out of her temporary nest and shook her head as if trying to clear cobwebs. What was she doing, sulking like this? This was her young dream realized. This was a camp full of other clans to mingle with, right in front of her, and not just for a brief night of peace, but for days on end. A time when she was literally forbidden from intense battle practice, due to the condition of her lungs and wounds, so there was no other reasonable option but to socialize. The she-cat had lost her own bet that she could do moonly challenges, proclaimed in the middle of MothClan's camp while she was still an apprentice.
They had been little things that had evolved from kithood bets, where she challenged her clanmates to complete a certain task, but they’d dwindled out as she focused more on her training. She'd never done one with her apprentice either, like she always swore she would. She'd never done one with her whole litter like she always hoped, if she could get them all together, and now she would never be able to. But now, it was time for a revival. It was time to test who was the best, just for the fun of it. Ideas blossomed in her mind. She wanted something everyone could do, but that wasn’t a whole lot right now. Mantisclaw sat down and thought for an immeasurable amount of time as she watched the waterfall with mild fascination. Eventually, an idea sprang to mind, signaled by her eyes lighting up. "I'm going to do another challenge," she muttered to a friend that was passing by, whose ears pricked immediately. For a moment the two of them fizzled in excitement.
"Go tell some others! Call it a game if it helps," Mantisclaw said in a scratchy voice, and the other cat skittered off to spread the word. The MothClan warrior looked around for a suitable place, then padded over to the spot her clan’s deputy had used for their ceremonies, near the middle of camp. She stood there with her ears pricked and her chest puffed out in a way that often made others stop and ask her what she was up to. At least, it had when she did it in her younger moons. It put a strain on her lungs, as would talking to anyone she could get to join in, but it was worth it as far as she was concerned.
Mantisclaw dragged her paws out of her temporary nest and shook her head as if trying to clear cobwebs. What was she doing, sulking like this? This was her young dream realized. This was a camp full of other clans to mingle with, right in front of her, and not just for a brief night of peace, but for days on end. A time when she was literally forbidden from intense battle practice, due to the condition of her lungs and wounds, so there was no other reasonable option but to socialize. The she-cat had lost her own bet that she could do moonly challenges, proclaimed in the middle of MothClan's camp while she was still an apprentice.
They had been little things that had evolved from kithood bets, where she challenged her clanmates to complete a certain task, but they’d dwindled out as she focused more on her training. She'd never done one with her apprentice either, like she always swore she would. She'd never done one with her whole litter like she always hoped, if she could get them all together, and now she would never be able to. But now, it was time for a revival. It was time to test who was the best, just for the fun of it. Ideas blossomed in her mind. She wanted something everyone could do, but that wasn’t a whole lot right now. Mantisclaw sat down and thought for an immeasurable amount of time as she watched the waterfall with mild fascination. Eventually, an idea sprang to mind, signaled by her eyes lighting up. "I'm going to do another challenge," she muttered to a friend that was passing by, whose ears pricked immediately. For a moment the two of them fizzled in excitement.
"Go tell some others! Call it a game if it helps," Mantisclaw said in a scratchy voice, and the other cat skittered off to spread the word. The MothClan warrior looked around for a suitable place, then padded over to the spot her clan’s deputy had used for their ceremonies, near the middle of camp. She stood there with her ears pricked and her chest puffed out in a way that often made others stop and ask her what she was up to. At least, it had when she did it in her younger moons. It put a strain on her lungs, as would talking to anyone she could get to join in, but it was worth it as far as she was concerned.