[Image ID: A digital drawing of a cat head. She is pale blue-gray with slightly darker ear tips. She has a white muzzle, white fur hanging from her cheeks, and a white four-pointed star on her forehead. She has bright blue eyes. She is smiling gently. The background is the bisexual flag. /End ID]
In all the moons Bluestar had served ThunderClan as their leader, she never couldâve imagined that their home- the only one her catsâ ancestors and themselves had ever known- was being destroyed. Torn apart.
Twolegs were responsible for the destruction, the danger⌠but no matter how resentful she was, no matter how angry, she was a clan leader. She had to be strong for her clanmates.
ThunderClanâs deputy, Tigerclaw, was watching over the camp for now, acting as leader in her place until she returned, which sheâd told him would be the next day.
She hoped it was true.
The she-cat had been quick on her feet since sheâd left at dawn; now it was late in the afternoon, approaching evening, and she hadnât stopped yet, save for a few pauses to sit and rest her legs.
But this new area she found herself approaching⌠was massive. Having come up over a short hill, Bluestar stood with wide eyes at the tall Twoleg structures, and she could hear the distant roar of the monsters that roamed there. The only thing that drew her to this place was the fact that she knew not every structure would be fully intact, or even inhabited; as long as it was far enough from where the majority of the Twolegs and monsters were, perhaps there was a chance her clan could shelter there until they found a better home, back in the wild where they belonged.
âŚif it were possible.
Bluestar knit her brows and hurried down the slope, soon finding that her paws had led her onto an odd, semi-smooth gray surface- which seemed, luckily, to be on the outer edges of this⌠odd, stinking Twoleg dwelling.
Her blue/gray coat, already a bit messy from the long travel of the day, suddenly bristled everywhere; sheâd gotten close to a structure that had no scent of Twolegs or anything else, but the snarling and stench of a large dog definitely caught her attention.
Flooded with terror, the molly raced on tired legs in the other direction, her blue eyes darting around in search of somewhere to escape- and before she knew it, she was scrambling beneath a break in a fence with a silver, hard touch, then turning a corner into an alley where she knew the dog couldnât reach her. It couldnât get through the fence, either.
Trembling with exhaustion and fear, Bluestar panted heavily, finally letting herself sink into a âloafâ position. She would have to keep looking for somewhere for her warriors to stay later, she supposedâŚ
Wait- something told her she was being watched. Forcing her achy body up, she unsheathed her claws and arched her back. Sheâd smelled an unfamiliar tomcat.
âShow yourself!â she snapped at the shadows, pupils shrunken to slits. There was no power left in her for any other dangerous situations.
The tomcat in question was an orange shorthair with brownish-orange mackerel striping and blue eyes, the latter widening from the sounds of the barking and even further as the strange she-cat angrily called out to him. The tom was slinking under a dumpster, his rear backed into a brick wall. If the dog followed the she-cat, he wouldn't have been able to get to the tom, but it wouldn't take too long for her to find him.
His fur bristled. Would it be smarter to show himself immediately? Hide in case she didn't think to look underneath the dumpster? Immediately start running away? The tom opened his mouth and caught her scent. The she-cat was not a local; she was intact and didn't have the same pungent stench as those from his territory, if one could call it that. She had to have been from the forest far, far away. What was she doing all the way in the city?
There were too many unknowns. The tom remained frozen underneath the dumpster, haunches raised...
Impatience from the dayâs events made the ThunderClan leaderâs spiky-furred tail lash in clear, fiery anger. âFine⌠Iâll come to you,â she growled; she knew she didnât have the strength she normally would have, but if she could just intimidate this tom enough to make him runâŚ?
Bluestar gradually stepped closer with deliberate slowness, but she had her mouth open to try and pinpoint where he was; she smelled fear, so she knew he was scared.
The she-catâs teeth clenched, and she growled, deep in her throat. She knew now that he was near the⌠weird, big, stinking thing that looked a little like a monster, though not as big.
âEither you come out and face me right now,â she hissed, lashing her tail, âor Iâll come and drag you out here myself. The choice is yours.â
The tom wanted to bolt away from that strange cat before he ended up even more scarred than she was. He just knew that, no matter what she said, she'd have wanted to hurt him badly. The only question was how badly.
And yet...he still remained completely frozen. He just couldn't move. He knew she was getting closer, and it'd only be a matter of time before she found him. He backed against the wall, tail wrapping around his side...
A door within the alleyway swung open as a middle-aged human woman walked towards the dumpster with a large black bag that had a terrible odor, dressed in a bright pink bath robe, matching slippers, and hair curlers.
Bluestar stalked closer, ears still pinned, muscles rippling under her fur; she wouldnât have been so hostile under normal circumstances, but this place was in no way familiar, and she knew she could be killed if she put one paw in the wrong place.
Not that she was in trouble now, but if she could, sheâd eliminate any threat she could to save her hide. So she growled, her throat rumbling-
-and then leapt into the air in sheer horror when the door swung open!
She wasted no time in scrambling towards the dumpster, hind legs kicking frantically against the cement until she was completely sheltered⌠and now face-to-face with a TERRIFIED young tomcat.
Panting, the molly stared into his eyes, scooting back in confusion. Her eyes were wide with fear, but not because of him; as soon as the Twoleg was gone, she sighed, and her burning muscles relaxed.
ââŚrrrgh⌠I wonât harm you. Just come out from under here.â A frustrated grumble left her muzzle, but she crept out from beneath the foul-smelling thing and sat down on the side of the dumpster where a Twoleg wouldnât see either of them right away.
⸺She's gathered that the leader wasn't even aware of the day being significant in any way to her - so Rosalia quietly spent the dawn away to gathering a few things as a surprise. When she does return, it's mid-day, and with her was a small leaf pouch, one that she kept with her until Bluestar had a moment to herself before she's approached with a respectful dip of her head.
⸺âI have heard it were your birthday,â she said simply as she laid the leaf pouch in front of Bluestar, giving the leader a affectionate gaze. âI hope that you might like these.â
⸺Inside the pouch was a sparrow (Rosalia had even managed to catch it herself, even though she wasn't much of a hunter - she heard that it were Bluestar's favorite), & with it was what looked like a soft blue stone specifically shaped as a cat, right down to the fur patterns.
The day was a warm one, but it was sunny, bright, and just a little bit breezy; that helped to relieve some of the sun that heated up the fur along Bluestarâs back and the top of her head.
She smiled as she watched Whitestorm walk across camp with Lionheart and Redtail, glad to see them getting along. They always had, but it was still nice.
The she-cat looked over at Rosalia when her scent came to her and opened her mouth to greet her, but fell quiet. âMy birthday?â she repeated, admittedly surprised. âWell, I⌠thank you, Rosalia.â
Bluestar smiled, curious, and nudged the pouch open; there lay a sparrow, which made her mouth water⌠and a very interesting-looking stone!
Her eyes grew wide, the end of her tail twitching when she snapped back to reality. Sheâd been so intrigued by the beautiful little gift that she had forgotten to move for a moment.
âOh, my friend, this is⌠amazing!â she mewed, blinking and beginning to smile; she raised her head and purred gratefully, touching her nose to the other felineâs. âIâm not sure how to thank you⌠it means a lot that youâve gotten these for me specifically.â
Bluestar also gave Rosalia a quick nuzzle to her neck, studying the smaller present once more. âThat stone⌠it looks so much like⌠me!â
"Heard it was ya birthday, Miss Bluestar, so, uh..." The orange tom dropped a half-eaten can of tuna in front of her, bowing his head out of respect. "S-stole it from one a' the humans jest fa you..."
âMy morning patrol chased a scrawny, yappy dog off this morning,â Tigerclaw reported, standing before his leader. âThe mangy thing wasnât much of a threat to a group of our size, and I doubt weâll be seeing it again.â
Bluestar nodded. âThank you, Tigerclaw. It would seem youâve handled the situation well.â
Then her ear flicked, and she turned halfway towards the young tom that had addressed her. Tigerclaw stalked away without a word.
Luminous eyes growing a bit wider, ears and whiskers lifting, the ThunderClan leader padded up to the newest member of her clan and sniffed the present; it smelled rather enticing, for food that had been in the possession of Twolegs.
Bluestarâs features softened, raising her tail in a display of appreciation as her posture also rose.
âThank you, Sergio,â she meowed with a smile. âIâm flattered that you thought of me. I hope it wasnât too much trouble to get this?â
She offered a grateful dip of her head. âIf Tigerclaw asks, tell him I told you to take the first pick of the fresh-kill pile. He takes his rank as deputy quite seriously, as Iâm sure youâve noticed.â
Another smile and purr were sent his way before, bending her head, Bluestar padded away with a grumbling belly.
A thoughtful young cat, he is, she thought as she settled near her makeshift den to eat. I hope he knows his worth, here in our midst.
In all the moons Bluestar had served ThunderClan as their leader, she never couldâve imagined that their home- the only one her catsâ ancestors and themselves had ever known- was being destroyed. Torn apart.
Twolegs were responsible for the destruction, the danger⌠but no matter how resentful she was, no matter how angry, she was a clan leader. She had to be strong for her clanmates.
ThunderClanâs deputy, Tigerclaw, was watching over the camp for now, acting as leader in her place until she returned, which sheâd told him would be the next day.
She hoped it was true.
The she-cat had been quick on her feet since sheâd left at dawn; now it was late in the afternoon, approaching evening, and she hadnât stopped yet, save for a few pauses to sit and rest her legs.
But this new area she found herself approaching⌠was massive. Having come up over a short hill, Bluestar stood with wide eyes at the tall Twoleg structures, and she could hear the distant roar of the monsters that roamed there. The only thing that drew her to this place was the fact that she knew not every structure would be fully intact, or even inhabited; as long as it was far enough from where the majority of the Twolegs and monsters were, perhaps there was a chance her clan could shelter there until they found a better home, back in the wild where they belonged.
âŚif it were possible.
Bluestar knit her brows and hurried down the slope, soon finding that her paws had led her onto an odd, semi-smooth gray surface- which seemed, luckily, to be on the outer edges of this⌠odd, stinking Twoleg dwelling.
Her blue/gray coat, already a bit messy from the long travel of the day, suddenly bristled everywhere; sheâd gotten close to a structure that had no scent of Twolegs or anything else, but the snarling and stench of a large dog definitely caught her attention.
Flooded with terror, the molly raced on tired legs in the other direction, her blue eyes darting around in search of somewhere to escape- and before she knew it, she was scrambling beneath a break in a fence with a silver, hard touch, then turning a corner into an alley where she knew the dog couldnât reach her. It couldnât get through the fence, either.
Trembling with exhaustion and fear, Bluestar panted heavily, finally letting herself sink into a âloafâ position. She would have to keep looking for somewhere for her warriors to stay later, she supposedâŚ
Wait- something told her she was being watched. Forcing her achy body up, she unsheathed her claws and arched her back. Sheâd smelled an unfamiliar tomcat.
âShow yourself!â she snapped at the shadows, pupils shrunken to slits. There was no power left in her for any other dangerous situations.
The tomcat in question was an orange shorthair with brownish-orange mackerel striping and blue eyes, the latter widening from the sounds of the barking and even further as the strange she-cat angrily called out to him. The tom was slinking under a dumpster, his rear backed into a brick wall. If the dog followed the she-cat, he wouldn't have been able to get to the tom, but it wouldn't take too long for her to find him.
His fur bristled. Would it be smarter to show himself immediately? Hide in case she didn't think to look underneath the dumpster? Immediately start running away? The tom opened his mouth and caught her scent. The she-cat was not a local; she was intact and didn't have the same pungent stench as those from his territory, if one could call it that. She had to have been from the forest far, far away. What was she doing all the way in the city?
There were too many unknowns. The tom remained frozen underneath the dumpster, haunches raised...
Impatience from the dayâs events made the ThunderClan leaderâs spiky-furred tail lash in clear, fiery anger. âFine⌠Iâll come to you,â she growled; she knew she didnât have the strength she normally would have, but if she could just intimidate this tom enough to make him runâŚ?
Bluestar gradually stepped closer with deliberate slowness, but she had her mouth open to try and pinpoint where he was; she smelled fear, so she knew he was scared.
The she-catâs teeth clenched, and she growled, deep in her throat. She knew now that he was near the⌠weird, big, stinking thing that looked a little like a monster, though not as big.
âEither you come out and face me right now,â she hissed, lashing her tail, âor Iâll come and drag you out here myself. The choice is yours.â
