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"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self."

Swanstar • Female • 95 moons • Leader • Atop the Leader's Den • Mentions: Cliffwalker; Stoneclimber

A bloom of pale yellow light dyed the beautiful gray of Swansong's thick coat, painting the leopardess like a spring flower. The same rising light streaked across the camp in front and around her, gradually becoming lighter as the great big light in the sky began rise higher above the horizon. The Leader's thick tail, curled around her paws as it usually was, tapped the smooth stone on which she was perched as if thanking it for providing a cozy seat before she stood, stretching. Her light eyes scanned the camp below her as cats gradually awoke, crawling from their dens in every direction. As the deputy, a fellow Snow Leopard, passed, the diplomat dipped her head in greeting, permitting a polite smile to cross her esteemed face. Humming,she stepped from her seat above the cave mouth, slinking down to the soft grass. Her large paws folded dozens of green blades under them as she strolled through camp, waiting patiently for her beloved to return and her children to rise. Upon his arrival, she'd be well-motivated to sashay towards him and run her skull under his, leaning ever-so-slightly into her mate.


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"Pride, envy, avarice - these are the sparks have set on fire the hearts of all men."

Copperthorn • Male • 33 moons • Warrior • A Tall Tree • Mentions: None

All that could be seen of Copperthorn was a single large, rust-colored paw peeking through leaves. He snored lightly, his wiry whiskers twitching, and dreamed of dense jungles and slow, stupid prey. He galloped through the tall, girthy trees, bounding over fern bushes and getting high off of pure adrenaline. The jaguar lept diagonally, his unsheathed claws gripping the trunk of a tipped tree and pulling the beast up, launching him further up the fallen palm and closer to the fleeing buck beneath him. His claws ripped up the bark, leaving long gashes. The muscles in his stocky legs tensed and sprung like a mouse trap in the matter of several seconds, launching him back into the air and towards the buck. He'd gained a heavy amount of ground by now. Snarling, the jaguar launched forward, lashing out with claws extended, catching the buck's unfortunate leg. His thick-bodied prey stumbled, almost sitting as its leg was taken out from under it. Copperthorn wrapped his muscular forelegs around the buck's torso, pulling himself forward and the deer back. His crushing jaws snapped around the neck and within minutes the buck fell limp with its mouth gaping open. Copperthorn stepped back from his catch, tasting only a hint of what he'd tase in reality, and smiled with satisfaction. As his surroundings grew blurry, another jaguar — almost identical to himself — stepped from the undergrowth and knelt at the quarry, beginning to feast.

Copperthorn awoke snarling. His amber eyes opened to a myriad of leaves on every side, light just barely poking through in an uneven mottle and painting the cat in even more spots than already blemished his short coat. Upon realization that seeing his brother was but a dream, Copperthorn's mind quieted and his lungs heaved before the male stood. He placed a paw below him, fastened securely to the claw-marked wood, and began to descend before leaping to the ground with a soft thud. His fangs shone yellow as the groggy male yawned, ambling aimlessly through camp.


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"If all the world's a stage, then I want better lighting!"

Finchfeather • Female • 30 moons • One Month Pregnant • Birthmother • Nursery • Mentions: None

The warm, cozy air of the nursery was filled with the mewls and squeaks of young kits. Finchfeather rolled — with much difficulty — towards the near wall, grumbling to herself. Though her stomach was distended only slightly larger than normal, her spine ached with the extra weight and her steps were clunky and slow. Nevertheless, she was more than enthusiastic for the cubs to enter the world. As much as she disliked their encumbering weight now, she enjoyed the presence of cubs. Their antics and what was deemed comedic to their developing minds instilled glee in the energetic cheetah.

Stoneclimber | Male | Mountainside | Warrior | 108 Moons | Mentions: Swanstar [minor]

Ice clings to crisp blades of grass like a lifeline, the specks glittered under the sun's rays though were easily melted with physical contact, revealing the green underneath. A stocky, muscular body stepped heavily through the slush, the air thin and bitter though due to a short, wide nasal cavity the iciness was warm by the time it reached his lungs. The sun had risen only moments prior, the radiant orb cresting the mountaintop like a lord of stars, blessing the land with rays of gold and hugging the sky with bright oranges and reds. In his mouth, the male carried the carcass of a mountain goat calf, it's shaggy coat was already crusty with ice and a dry pink splotch staining it's throat from where a killing bite had been previously performed. It had been an easy gain, though he'd nearly broke his own neck over the rough, rocky snow-covered terrain of the mountain. The cruel cold was bliss against his thick coat however, which was grey and accented by light browns, speckled over with dark rosettes, a natural coat for a snow leopard. His irises looked to be cool chips of blue in contrast to the pale terrain and his snow-speckled pelage, but were morso a slate grey rimmed by the fainted traces of pale green. Stoneclimber had spent much of his time yesterday on his lonesome, but such was life on an alp. There weren't many cold-bound felidaes in RoseClan to keep him company, cheetahs, panthers, jaguars, and leopards? They needed the warmth, the smell of blossoms and the feel of the sun on their coats, it wasn't a matter of preference. The more he descended from the mountainside, the less he could feel of the welcoming cold and the more he could see of healthy green vegetation. It wasn't long before a gust of wind blew in his face, carrying with it the fragrance of warm temperatures, prey and flora. The hessian had always attempted to spend the majority of the time with his Clan and could do so for a very long while but it was simply a necessity to return back to the cold atleast once or thrice a moon. He did not want to forget the smell of his clan-mates, the feeling he got when he exchanged greetings with them or shared fresh-kill. Stoneclimber also did not want to miss hunts or patrols, simple things in Clan-life. But most of all, he dreaded being apart from Swanstar. Lids would briefly close as he was swept in his imaginings, yet his paws still trekked on. Beautiful and noble, there was certainly no other female for him and with her, he had two bairns. Two gorgeous children that would eventually grow to be reliable assets to their clan. Suddenly, the male looked forward to leaving his barren mountains. Whether it had been the soft kisses of sun that he could already feel that melted his ice-bound heart or the thoughts of his family who were awaiting him, he hadn't the smallest clue.

Paleskip
Female| 36 moons | Warrior | Leopard | Location: In a tree ----> Camp | Mentions: [Directly] Copperthorn

Paleskip yawned licking off the blood from around her muzzle as she looked down at the half-eaten rabbit before she glanced around and made her way down the tree that she often rested in heading into camp, she greeted Copperthorn as she moved past him "Copperthorn" she nodded a greeting as she slinked past him towards camp, her ears flickered lazily as she kept close to the tall grass before she walked towards the camp slinking lower towards the ground

| Boomslangstorm |
Male • 30 Moons • Tanzanian Cheetah • Medicine Cat
Location: Camp • Mentions: {Directly} Finchfeather, Cliffwalker

Boomslangstorm sorted through his herb collection carefully, separating the old and withered from newer, greener stalks and leaves. Plants that had lost their use were discarded, carried outside camp and left to drift away on the wind. As he began padding back to his den the spotted cat paused, eyes sliding to Cliffwalker as she called into the nursery. He moved to stand beside the cougar, peering through the dark entrance. He might as well check on Finchfeather while he was out and about. The birthmother appeared before long, belly heavy with unborn cubs. He would let Cliffwalker speak first before checking his fellow cheetah over.



| Mambafang |
Female • 48 Moons • African Leopard (Melanistic) • Warrior
Location: • Mentions: {Directly} None / Open

The black leopard lounged lazily just outside the warrior’s den, broad head resting on her forepaws as her dark pelt soaked up the early morning sunlight. Her tail or one of her ears flicked every now and then, the only sign the silent warrior was still awake. The night had been a restless one, taunted by nightmares she would rather not relive, distracting herself instead with thoughts of the day ahead. She would be chosen for a hunting or border patrol before long, hopefully the latter, and if luck was on her side they would run into a few of the mutts from the Mud. Entertaining fantasies of slashing throats with her curved claws or sinking her massive teeth into dog flesh, a pleased growl rumbled in her throat.



| Brody |
Male • 33 Moons • Pantanal Jaguar • Rogue
Location: • Mentions: {Directly} None / Open {Indirectly} Copperthorn

Large paws lingered along the Roseclan border, eyes searching the lands beyond for any signs of movement. The markers hadn’t been renewed since the previous night from the smell of it and he assumed a patrol would be headed this way before long. The jaguar paced for a time, uncertain of the dangers he would face if he crossed into the territory uninvited. He wasn’t quite sure he wanted to face a patrol yet. Especially not if Copperthorn was among the cats attending. Since the first time his brother came into sight from a distance last moon he had found himself keeping to the outskirts of this place, as if incapable of moving on elsewhere.

Brody was entirely unsure of how he would be received by his old littermate. Would it be a joyful reunion or would he be chased away with the same relentless fire Copperthorn had possessed during cubhood? He almost hadn’t recognized the other male. They had both grown and changed so much since last they set eyes on one another, but scents never changed that much. The thought of reconnecting with long lost family was enough to keep him here, but his lack of social skills and anxieties about the meeting going wrong kept him from approaching.

He slowed to a halt, glancing across the landscape one last time before finally hurtling across the border, darting for the nearest copse of trees. The smell of prey drove him onward. Perhaps he could capture a gift for his brother, a gesture of a good will.

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"If all the world's a stage, then I want better lighting!"

Finchfeather • Female • 30 moons • One Month Pregnant • Birthmother • Nursery • Mentions: Cliffwalker; Boomslangstorm

A voice called from outside, answered by Finchfeather's quiet grumble, motivating the beautiful cheetah to stand. The effort required to stand while also being weighed down by cubs combined with the young female's grogginess forced her to stand still again. Another, more aggravated call inspired Finchfeather forward again, obviously faking a rather petulant attitude as she stepped from the Nursery. "What do you want, Cliffwalker," she grumbled jokingly, glaring at the cougar with her eyes full of jest. Grinning, her large brown eyes glanced to the form of another cheetah, the Medicine Cat Boomslangstorm. "Ah, good morning, Boomslangstorm," she chirped.

Stoneclimber | Male | Mountainside | Warrior | 108 Moons | Mentions: Frozenglow [Direct]

He'd only spent little less than an hour in the sunlight and already, the snow and ice had began to melt from his pelt, leaving behind moist, darkened fur across his rosetted pelage. Stoneclimber had taken short breaks on his trip back to camp, usually under shade or in thick brush where the scent of the carcass could be more concealed, yet always, he stood, released a huff of determination, and continued on. Eventually, the scents of his clan-mates touched his nose and the stout hessian breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the familiar smell. The muscles in his throat ached from all the carrying and his jaws weren't faring much better yet the feline made it his mission to see the mountain goat added to the pile of prey that was situated within camp.
As he grew nearer and nearer to the dark silhouette of the dens, he spotted the young shape of a fellow snow leopard, fur pale and accented with dusty browns. His nose twitched as the young warrior's pace quickened and Frozenglow tripped, sending him sprawling into the grass and soil. Dropping his kill momentarily, Stoneclimber padded over to his son and gave his pelt a whiff, confirming the young tom was not harmed. "Watch where you place your paws." He scolded softly, touching his dark nose to Frozenglow's shoulder in greeting. "Hello, Frozenglow. Haven't been getting into any trouble, have you?"