I Just Wanted To Have Fun[Assignment/Open]

[~XxSnakethxX~]

Huddled inside a hollow tree trunk, a white queen shivered. Her ears swiveled, listening for approaching footsteps. This white queen happened to be the very pregnant Snowflower of SkyClan. What she was doing out here, she couldn't remember. The thunder was scaring the living daylights out of the she-cat. Just as she poked her head outside, thinking that it was safe to come out, another loud boom of thunder sent her skidding to the back of the makeshift shelter. Shaking, Snowflower tentatively came away from the back of the tree trunk. Where was Snakeheart when she needed him the most? Nowhere to be found, that was where. Reaching out for comfort, she mewed plaintively and loudly; no help came, but instead another loud crash signified the fall of thunder.

Sticking her head back out, she was just in time to see a flash of lightning. She jumped back, her claws clutching to the rotting bark of the tree in fear. Fear soon passed into terror. Then terror passed into hysteria. Another loud mew of fright and urgency erupted from the white she-cat's throat. She wildly yowled for help. "Help! Oh, please, some cat help me!" she yowled to no cat in particular. The stars were blotted out by dark storm clouds, and she cowered in a corner. Just then, another cat appeared at the entrance to the shelter in which she so desperately huddled in.

Words: 238
Characters(as in letters):1373
Character Used: Snowflower
Tagged: Open// she needs some cat to calm her down! she's afraid of thunder ya know.
Notes: This is not long at all, but I have a fever and most this probably doesn't even make sense.

[Mama Oak]

furzepaw, the sloth
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A N D x A T x O N C E x I x K N E W ,
I x W A S x N O T x S I G N I F I C A N T .

Furzepaw hated the rain. It always soaked through his thick fur, which took forever to completely dry again. When the large, gray clouds had unleashed their unwanted downpour a little earlier, it had interrupted one of the SkyClan apprentice’s dearly-held naps; one of many that day. He’d been caught off-guard and was lucky to find refuge as quickly as he had. Possessing little intution or caution, he had leaped straight into the fox den without even considering that the small shelter could already be occupied. Luckily for the tom, it wasn’t, but the thought never even occured to him that its habitants could return at any moment. Gorsehawk would surely deliver a well-needed cuff to the ear when he heard about this.

Grumbling to himself and trying to make himself smaller — the den wasn’t very large — Furzepaw’s ears flickered forward as he caught the drawn out call of another feline. Suddenly quite alert, he pulled himself to the den’s entrance and peeked out. A flash of lightning illuminated the territory in a brilliant white, catching two, frightful eyes at the base of a near-by tree. One of Furzepaw’s clanmates! The feline retreated further into the tree’s hollow center and a chorus of distressed mewing quickly ensued.

Once he identified the wails as those of Snowflower, Furzepaw immediately felt a terrible, sinking dread in his stomach, instantly heightening to horror as he (without hesitance) dashed from his fox den to her tree. Was she kitting? At the climax of a violent thunderstorm, far from camp, and with no medicine cat? And not even another queen to comfort her! Please, oh please StarClan, he thought desperately. The white tom wasn’t confident in his belief of the seventh clan, but if praying to the supposed ancestors called upon their guidance, it was an opportune time to explore his faith. Don’t let this be happening.

The rain stung, even through his exceptionally thick fur. Fortunately though, the distance from his own shelter and Snowflower’s was only a few, large leaps. Or at least, for a cat of good physique — for Furzepaw, the small distance was traversed with a heavy, clumsy waddle. He was squeezing his large, plump frame (with some expected difficulty) through the trunk’s entrance in a matter of seconds though, and as he stood there — breathing heavily and with water dripping profusely from his pelt — he regarded the queen with wide eyes of terrified concern. ”Snowflower! Are you okay?” In his mounting panic, he couldn’t tell if she was simply frightened or suffering from labor pains. ”Are the kittens coming?”

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Words: 430
Tagged: Snowflower/Snakey
Post Scriptum: Alrighty, hope this is okay~! Even if Furzepaw is doing quite the opposite of calming anyone down. *laughs* (Muahaha, smite-tagged again! >)

[~XxSnakethxX~]

The cat turned out to be Furzepaw. "Oh, Furzepaw! Thank StarClan you've come!" Snowflower shifted over to shiver near Furzepaw. "The kits aren't coming. I was just so frightened.. all this noise..." As if to make her words even more truthful, a loud chorus of thunder followed just as she closed her mouth. She squeaked and backed up again, this time slightly dragging Furzepaw with her. Huddled in a corner once more, she could feel her kits moving inside of herself. They weren't coming. Not yet, anyway. "Please, come help me. I'm scared, she whispered, shivering, her ears flicked down.

Panting with fear, she began o try and clam herself down, mainly by closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. This course of action was broken when thunder ripped the sky in half once more. Snowflower instantly opened her eyes and froze, stiff as a highly adapted RiverClan cat's whiskers. She curled into a sort of half laying down, half sitting position in the corner, ears once more flicking around as if searching for help.

Words: 184
Tagged: Furzepaw/Oakey
Notes: It was perfect~ I liked Furzepaw's immediate concern that she was kitting. But that's not for another half-month. Also, SMITE-TAGGED! I'm still kinda sick, but I promise that my next post will be longer.

[Mama Oak]

furzepaw, the sloth
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A N D x A T x O N C E x I x K N E W ,
I x W A S x N O T x S I G N I F I C A N T .

Furzepaw’s relief was palpable. He exhaled all his horror and terror in one huge breath, the tightly-wound tension in his muscles melting from his body in one swift heave. The alleviation of such anxiety was so wonderful that, for a single moment, he completely forgot how miserable he was; his soaking-wet pelt and the chill that it blanketed him with was no longer a reality. Before Snowflower shifted beside him, he sent a silent thought of gratitude for StarClan. It likely wasn’t of their doing, but just in case it was...

An overlapping overture of growling thunder — so loud that Furzepaw could feel it reverberating in the tree’s sheltering trunk and in the ground beneath his paws — was StarClan’s response, and the SkyClan tom made a small, surprised mew as Snowflower half-tugged him further into safety. For the first time after being reassured she wasn’t in the middle of kitting, he actually took her in and saw how terribly frightened she was. Her breathing was heavy with fear; chest rising and falling in a slow rythm as she tried to calm herself. Another crack of thunder — sounding as if it were uprooting trees in the distance; tearing their roots forcefully from the earth — thoroughly struck her attempts of comfort and, when a brilliant stroke of lighting lit up the entirety of their refuge with blinding white, Furzepaw could see the terror reflecting in her wide, beautiful eyes.

”It’s okay, Snowflower,” Swallowing, Furzepaw moved forward and sat beside her, careful not to actually touch her. Though the physical contact would likely help absorb some of her fear, he was painfully aware of how wet he was and how relatively dry she was. The heavy tom wasn’t certain if his clanmate would appreciate being soaked. So instead, he bent over her crouched figure and began to draw his tongue gingerly over the top of her head, mewing between his warm strokes: ”It’ll pass soon. And then you’ll be back in your warm, lovely nursery!” Thunder sliced through the storm once more, and it took all of his will not to jump at the angry noise — he didn’t want to exacerbate things when Snowflower was so distraught by showing his own fright.

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Words: 375
Tagged: Snowflower/Snakey
Post Scriptum: Oh, lady, it is on! (Translation: You've been smite-tagged again! Pow!) And ohmygosh, I had a thought. :0 Their shelter is near a fox den... what if a fox came sometime? Furzepaw isn't a good fighter and Snowflower's pregnant!

[~XxSnakethxX~]

Still breathing heavily from fear, Snowflower listened to what Furzepaw was saying. He was right, after all- it'd be over soon. Until then, however Snowflower was going to be absolutely terrified. "Y-You're right... it'll be... over soon..." she stammered. Her trembling ceased, and she was quickly alert. A twig snapped nearby. Snowflower laid still and listened. Snap. Crunch. Snap. Snap. Crunch. Leaves were crunching, twigs were snapping; this was strange. If it was a fox, well what was a fox doing in SkyClan territory? It was usually too cold for them up here, though a few managed to maintain a thick coat of fur. The rank stench of fox washed over her senses. "Furzepaw," she choked, [/color=LightBlue]"be ready to fight, because a fight is sure to break out..."[/color] She took a deep breath, and backed up as far as she could, which was not very far at all. Claws unsheathed, she awaited the terrible doom that was sure to be unleashed upon the cats. Snap. Snap. Crunch.... Silence. It was silent now, but the overwhelming stench of fox was still there. A russet-colored head poked inside. Terribly loud and frightful growling rose up. StarClan, please make it quick...

Words: 213
Tagged: Furzepaw/Oakey
Notes: Your wish has been GRANTED! Also, my fever is getting the total best of me right now, so this might not make sense. I'm pretty sure it does though..

[Mama Oak]

furzepaw, the sloth
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A N D x A T x O N C E x I x K N E W ,
I x W A S x N O T x S I G N I F I C A N T .

Furzepaw spun around at Snowflower’s words and, all at once, in a stomach-dropping moment of self-horror, he put the pieces together and realized his folly. His sheltering in the den... the stench of fox that he noticed only in retrospect... his running over here. ”I brought him here,” he mewed quickly, with a terrible dread. ”I brought him here!” How could I be so stupid!?

Lightening flashed outside of the den and for a quick moment, the lean figure of a capable, adult fox was illuminated in brilliant, blinding white. Just ouside of their shelter... water rolling from its pelt, which hugged a slender, wiry-muscled body... maw bared in a ferocious snarl. Furzepaw gasped and shut his eyes quickly, fear gripping his body like the frigid talons of a massive bird. The hold felt completely paralyzing, but (vageuly) he was aware that he had scrambled to the very back of the den and was pressing himself against the tree’s earth-caked wall. Caving into himself, crouching as low to the ground as he could, the SkyClan apprentice found himself wishing over and over for the end to be swift. For the pain to be quick... for his death to be just like falling into another one of his naps. He was quivering now; trembling, and not from the cold rain.

Don’t be a fool, Furzepaw! The snarl in his head was a vicious reprimand, cutting through and silencing his pathetic pleas. He gritted his teeth and willed the tremors to stop. Sent a quick prayer to StarClan that his quavering legs, suddenly as soft as soaked moss, would somehow hold him as he pushed back to his paws. As he felt the tears crop up in the corners of his tightly-pinched eyes, he suddenly pictured a small litter of kittens, mewling with glee as they tumbled over each other and bit at one another’s ears; growing more aware of their surrounding and environment with each sunhigh. Their faces warm and innocent as they swam behind his eyes. Furzepaw remembered how frightened he had been when he first rushed over here, terrified that Snowflower was in the middle of labor.

He had been afraid that he would not be able to help her; that his ineptitude would be the reason SkyClan kittens would be deprieved of their future. But now, Furzepaw thought sullenly, they were threatened again. And it was a different danger, a very real danger. Not like his previous fear that had been imagined and quickly quelled. If this fox was not one to be easily driven off, then they would not escape uninjured.

But it will not touch Snowflower.

Furzepaw’s eyes snapped open, and a very rare and fierce determination suddenly coarsed through him; a mingling of both fire and ice in his veins. Hot and cold washed over him simultaneously and the snarl that had ripped through his mind only a second ago was suddenly on his muzzle. The images of happy, squealing kittens were gone and he was stepping toward the entrance; stepping in-front of the SkyClan queen. His legs still trembled and fear clung stubbornly to his pelt, but his lip had pulled up to show his fangs and his fluffy white pelt, had it not been drenched, would have puffed up in an attempt to make himself bigger.

He knew he was not a capable cat. And he knew he had no one to blame but himself. Had he not stole away from more than half of Gorsepelt’s training sessions and had he actually exerted an effort in the few that he did attend, he would be able to fight off this fox. He would be able to protect Snowflower and the future lives of SkyClan. But he had neglected his duties and his responsibility to his clan. Even now, he had not once made an appearance at any of Gorsehawk’s training sessions. The young tom had only been his new mentor for a couple of sunhighs and Furzepaw was certain he had already proved himself quite the disappointment.

With a pang, Furzepaw found hismelf wishing the SkyClan deputy was here now. Snowflower would be safe then, with all certainty. ”I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold him off, Snowflower,” he mewed dully, the determination throbbing through him tainted once more with returning fear. His snarl reduced to a pained grimace. His bravado was already falling away, and it took an effort not to fall back and press himself into Snowflower, as if she were his mother and he were a helpless kit beneath her protection. But he knew he couldn’t do that. The young tom knew he had to try. He was a heavy cat after all... hopefully throwing around his weight would be enough to fend the fox off. Or maybe he could provide just enough distraction for Snowflower to slip away; to chance the storm and make way for camp and safety.

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Words: 827
Tagged: Snowflower/Snakey
Post Scriptum: I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to this! And... sorry it ended up... really... unrealistically dramatic. xD

[splashtana ★]

<sup>Trotting around with no set plans on how to spend her day, was none other than the long-legged Cardinalpaw. She’d been doing some thinking that morning, and decided she was going to dig a hole in a large snow drift, and fashion it to her needs. Because it would be a fun project, and the fox red apprentice had a feeling that doing something she considered fun would actually be fun. It wouldn’t be one of those ridiculous lies that older felines made up, saying something was loads of fun when it just turned out to be an extreme disappointment. Though, naturally, the seven moon old apprentice made the adjustments needed and cooperated. Even if she strongly disliked the situation. Spotting a large drift ahead, Cardinalpaw picked up her pace and raced over the slick, icy texture of the snow. Glad to have the typical SkyClan adaptation of large paws that made it possible to run on top of the snow, the fox red she-cat was half way there in no time. Though, her mind began to wander, and usually that meant bad news for everyone involved. Thoughts of her snow drift fortress plans took over her mind, distracting her from the simple task of running in a straight line, and she tripped over her own paws. Landing on her stomach and sliding forward, crashing head first into the snow drift, Cardinalpaw could barely remove herself from the pile without a mouthful of the white substance due to laughing so much.

Shaking the powder from her pelt, Cardinalpaw looked up, opening her mouth to let out a cough, but her breath caught in her throat and she made no sound. Fear scents flooded into her scent glands, and the fox red she-cat felt her ears flattening as the reek of fox slithered under, almost undetectable, the fear scents. The apprentice slowly flattened herself to the ground, and began to stalk forward over the snow, careful not to make to much noise in case the fox was merely lurking rather than already attacking her clanmates. StarClan forbid that it really was. Of course, as usual, Cardinalpaw was wrong. The sounds of fighting floated to her over the air, piercing her ears and causing her fur to bristle. Yelps, yowls, screeches, growls, everything that she absolutely hated. It infuriated her to know her clanmates were being attacked. Rising back up to her full height, the fox red she-cat took off at full speed across the snow until she burst into the clearing where she knew the fox was.

The scene that awaited her sickened her. Furzepaw was fighting off a large fox in the center of the clearing, and by the looks of it he was growing tired and exhausted fast. Partially hidden in a hollowed out tree log was the expecting queen, Snowflower. Snowflower was so close to kitting, Cardinalpaw was worried she’d give birth right there and then without any cat to help her. Without a second thought, Cardinalpaw crossed the clearing in three bounds, skidding to a halt beside Furzepaw, her fellow apprentice, and baring her teeth towards the fox. “What are you doing, mange-pelt? Leave these cats alone, would you? Coward.” The female feline apprentice snarled, her thorn sharp claws sliding out of their sheathes. With a hiss, she aimed to drag her claws across the fox’s muzzle, which would hopefully produce a yelp of pain from it’s parted jaws.</sup>

[Mama Oak]

furzepaw, the sloth
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A N D x A T x O N C E x I x K N E W ,
I x W A S x N O T x S I G N I F I C A N T .

Furzepaw saw a flash of scarlet come barreling toward him and, for a single, sickening moment, thought it was another fox. His body was weary and sore already; his pathetic reserves of energy terribly depleted and empty. It was a wonder that he was still standing and managing to dodge the other creature’s lightning-quick attacks. He felt as if his limbs were somehow disconnected from the rest of him and made of wood; awkward and clumsy, but somehow moving and reacting without any instruction from his mind. Instinct, perhaps?

But even that, as good as it had done him so far, was growing slower with each passing moment. His muscles quivered with ache and threatened to spasm. This fight — this mad attempt to defend Snowflower — was already more exertion than the plump, white apprentice had spent in all three moons of his neglected and skipped training. Another fox would be the end of him in a matter of seconds.

Blood trickled from a cut above Furzepaw’s right eye, painting his vision a painful red and rendering him half-blind. That was his only wound though, save for the nasty teeth marks upon his left foreleg where the cold, hungry creature had previously managed to latch his jaws. His thick, coarse fur had protected his body from the majority of the fox’s assaults, though his pelt was sore all the same from where some of the useful fluff had been ripped out.

The streak of russet-hued fur came right at him and Furzepaw hardly had time to move before the damn creature was upon him. But, while the SkyClan tom clenched his jaw and braced for the impact, it never came. In a single moment, as words ripped from Cardinalpaw’s lips in a fierce snarl, a wave of relief crashed over him and it took all of his will not to collapse; legs and paws suddenly little more than numb, weak saplings.

Snowflower would be safe. Surely this fox wouldn’t chance three cats, even if one of them was incompetent and the other heavy with kittens.

He wanted to turn his head and to look at his fox-colored clanmate with his good eye; wanted her to see the endless depth of gratitude that would be there, glimmering on the surface of his pained, hazel pool. But he didn’t take his impaired vision from the fox and only let his ears pin back to his skull. ”I don’t think we should be making him angry,” he stuttered, his voice ringing with less bravado and more fear than he would have liked. Yet even as he spoke, Cardinalpaw’s claws caught the fox across its saliva-slathered jaw. The beast snarled reproachfully, but instead of lunging forward to retaliate as it would have with Furzepaw, it took a step back and glanced between them. It’s dark, black eyes were full of hatred and a crazed, feral fury; there was little intelligence there, but even the most stupid of foxes would think twice about continuing on. The thing had spent much of its strength on Furzepaw’s endurance — a fresh set of claws and teeth was obviously not worth it.

Snapping at the air with rage, the fox spun around and whisked away. Furzepaw’s eyes slid shut and he almost let himself crumble into a pathetic mass of drenched fur, protesting muscle, and sick relief. His breath came in deep, heavy gasps and for a moment he thought he would throw up. Instead, his ears flickered forward and one, single word tumbled quietly from his jaws, laced with inquisitive concern. ”Snowflower?”

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Words: 597
Tagged: Snowflower/Snakey & Cardinalpaw/Splashy
Post Scriptum: If you actually want to do some fox-butt kicking, I can modify. Also, I kind of assumed a bit of a time-lapse between Furzepaw’s last post and Cardinal’s entrance.

[~XxSnakethxX~]

Snowflower, terrified, couldn't speak or move from where she was. Her eyes were glazed with terror. She must have passed out for a few moments, because when she blinked her eyes open, the fox was gone, Furzepaw was on the ground panting, and Cardinalpaw had arrived. "Oh, thank you, both of you. I don't know what would have happened if that fox had gotten in here," she said between purrs of gratitude. Slowly, she levered herself into a standing position, and began to nose through Furzepaw's pelt, checking for any wounds. There didn't seem to be any, so the white queen moved to Cardinalpaw. They both seemed okay except for a few bumps from landing on the hard, frozen ground.

"We're... we're all okay. And we'll all be fine when it stops raining..." The storm had descended into a heavy rainfall. This was tolerable. Snowflower could manage a rainfall, just not a storm.