History Less[o]n

[Dolphinsong]

[ This is a training thread for Bluepaw , but other cats can tag along as well! But if you're not Fireclan make sure you don't cross the border. ]

Dolphinsong emerged from her bramble-sewn den, leaping into the camp playfully. She couldn't wait to teach Bluepaw the wonders of life! She sailed over to the apprentices' den and poked her head through the entrance. "Hey, Bluepaw! Let's depart from this boring place and meet in the territory!" The sunlight danced on her silver-tipped pelt, and she flew out onto the territory like a dart. Panting, she slowed down and began to walk across the grassy prairie, waiting for the little blue apprentice to catch up. "Today, I am going to tell you all about us and the other clans! Who we're friendly with, who to avoid, etc.."

[Bluepaw]

OOC: Thank you for being Bluepaw's mentor! I'm excited to rp with you!

Bluepaw awoke to an energetic voice calling her name. She sat up and looked at the empty space about her, the edges of her vision fuzzy from sleep. Hmm...I was sure someone woke me up... Cocking and eyebrow, Blue stood and stretched. What did the voice say? Go to the clan's territory? Guess I'll head that way.


When Bluepaw arrived at Fire Clan's territory, she spotted her mentor Dolphinsong. She wasn't exactly difficult to spot anyways. Dolphinsong seemed to glow in the sunlight - her buzzing energy just as reflective as her luminous pelt. Blue smiled. It was nice to have such a sweet mentor. Several cats she'd met weren't exactly kind...She didn't count Aloepaw, of course. He was a good friend of hers despite how others viewed him. 


"Hello, Dolphinsong," Bluepaw greeted with a gentle smile. She listened to her mentor's agenda for the day. " Sounds interesting. I don't know much about our clan's history, much less the histories of the other clans." 

[Dolphinsong]

[ Sorry this is late!! And I'm so excited to RP with you, too! (: Oh, and feel free to ask questions (in character and out of character) along the way! ]

Dolphinsong padded across the golden prairie lands. She smiled at her apprentice, who seemed really sweet! A lot of apprentices these days were kind of obnoxious, and she couldn't understand that. It only hampered their education, and they rarely met their full potential. "I know," she began, "that young cats can be nasty sometimes.. They might say mean things. But you should never take them to heart, you know why? Because they're kids, and they don't have the faintest idea what they're talking about. But I hope you like it in the apprentices' den! You'll meet the most wonderful people, there really are some magnificent cats in Fireclan!" she purred, her fluffy grey tail flicking from side to side.

She decided to tell Bluepaw about the territory as they were walking through it. Her priority had to be Bluepaw's safety. "We have hawks here.. Hawks are ambush hunters, and they're diurnal, meaning they're active during the day. Small apprentices should never wander the territory alone during those times. Of course, when you're a little bit bigger, you can teach any hawk who tries to bother you a lesson!" she laughed, her eyes shining brightly. "We have snakes, too. Our territory sure is a trip, huh? But snakes are quite sensitive creatures. They're scared of animals as big as ourselves, so if you don't make any sudden movements, they'll always back off! They can be quite cute actually, especially the babies (which are called snakelets, by the way!)"

Finally they made it to the Iceclan border. The snowy mountains, in all of their majesty, dwarfed everything around them. "Those mountains are home to the Iceclan cats, the symbol of resilience. Iceclan has an exciting history! They used to be the superpower of the four clans, until their birth rate started falling.. But just before their rise to power, they had a rebellion, the only one so far in recorded history. They split in half, and civil war broke out - the Loyalists against the Rebels. The Rebels were unhappy with their leader, Wildstar, and wanted to elect a new one, a cat called Froststar. But the Loyalists prevailed, and under Wildstar, Iceclan ascended to greatness."

Dolphinsong sighed suddenly, her eyes dimming. "Bluepaw..." she looked at her apprentice. "What do you know of war?"

[Bluepaw]

OOC: No prob! I know it can get pretty busy during the school year and all. Will do!

Bluepaw flicked her tail slightly in excitement. She was very eager to go to all the clan borders and learn about each one's history. Her ears perked up at Dolphinsong's words. It was almost as if she'd read Bluepaw's mind... "Well you don't seem 'nasty' like other cats," she replied with a smile.


At the mention of danger, Bluepaw became focused and nodded at Dolphinsong's warnings. Hmm...I didn't really think about birds being dangerous. The sky always seemed softer than the earth...I guess there's dangers up there, too. She laughed along with her mentor and chuckled at the snake part. Snakes? Cute?? Eh...I don't see it. "Well, I'll be sure to be careful of them anyway," she replied with a grin.


As they came upon Ice Clan's border, Bluepaw felt a chill run through her. It was still winter in Fire Clan, but it was much colder here at Ice Clan. The cold rippled through her fur. Her eyes widened. Her heart beat faster. A grin began to form on her face. The cold was breathtaking...literally. Blue sucked in a breath and felt the icy cold swirl in her lungs. It was incredible! Not to mention the view. All the snow and ice - the whites and the blues - mixing and moving from the rocky cliff faces to the clouded sky. Blue had never experienced anything like this before. At first she was surprised to hear of a rebellion and civil war within a place so wonderful, but then she remembered that the cold was as dangerous as it was beautiful. No doubt the cats who lived here were the same. 


Blue snapped out of her reverie at the change in Dolphinsong's tone. She looked at her mentor with slight concern in her sapphire eyes. Dolphinsong had turned from being energetic and full of life to being serious and...almost troubled. War? How often do the clans fight with one another? "Um...not much. Has Fire Clan been involved in many wars?" 

[Dolphinsong]

Dolphinsong sighed gravely.

"A long time ago.. we attacked the other three clans, and we kidnapped a kit from each of them, for leverage. Antkit from Treeclan, Grasskit from Iceclan, and Hazelkit from Rockclan."

It was important that Bluepaw understood..

"You understand that this was a bad thing to do, don't you? No kitten should ever come under threat. Kits have done no wrong; they are new and precious life, who must be guarded like gemstones. They must not be caught in the collision of two belligerents. They must not be made to fight wars started by their parents. And, most importantly, they must not be exploited simply for being new to the world."

This was a dark part of Fireclan history, which permanently scarred its relationship with the other three clans.

Dolphinsong renewed the scent markings on the Iceclan border, showing Bluepaw how to do it. "The most detectable scent to leave on the border is, um.. bodily fluid. But rubbing your scent against something works just fine" she purred, rubbing her cheek against the trunk of a tree.

"This is the Lone Tree, the only tree on Fireclan territory. You can practice climbing here, if you want. It's a good way to build strength and improve your agility, so lots of apprentices come here. Just be careful!"

Dolphinsong started heading in the direction of the Treeclan border.

[Bluepaw]

The electricity that filled her from the cold vanished at Dolphinsong's explanation. She was deeply saddened by the news. "I...never knew our clan did that," she responded quietly. Blue never imagined that Fire Clan would do something so horrible. She knew that clans went to war every now and then over various issues, but to drag kits into the crossfire...

Bluepaw would always love being a part of Fire Clan, but now some of that love was replaced by shame...

Blue simply nodded at her mentor's instructions and followed suit. She absentmindedly rubbed her cheeks against the tree's rough bark. She appreciated Dolphinsong's attempt to change the subject and move on, but Bluepaw was still trying to absorb her words: Kits? They- we captured kits...for war? How could we do such a thing?

"Oh, really?" Blue responded, slowly fading back to reality. "I had no idea this tree was even here. Its pretty tall." Bluepaw gazed up at the Lone Tree in wonder. She heeded her mentor's warning, but she was mostly eager to learn how to climb the enormous tree. I wonder if it would help me reach the sky...

Sensing her mentor leaving, Blue turned away from the tree and followed Dolphinsong. "Where are we heading now?" She hoped there wasn't any more of Fire Clan's dark history she'd have to learn today. 

[Dolphinsong]

[ Hey Bluepaw, since I have been struggling with activity, I will try to speed this thread up by making my posts a little longer, hope you don't mind! ]

"We're heading for Treeclan, the cats of the forest" purred Dolphinsong.

Soon, they came to the edge of the woods. It was an enchanting place, with gentle greens and browns, and the laughter of songbirds. The sunlight filtered down through the thick tree branches, creating a dappled pattern on the forest floor below.

"They're clever. But they have an unfortunate history.. First, they were burned down by wildfire and had to switch campsites. Thankfully no one was killed."

She recalled the power of the flames. It could jump rivers, and fell trees. She wondered how something could be so.. angry.. devouring everything in its path.

"Then, Rockclan unexpectedly formed an alliance with Deathclan - a dangerous group of rogues - and stole the Treeclan cats' territory from them, defeating them in a single attack. It was one of the Treeclan queens, Harrowingpride, who stopped the fighting and announced her clan's surrender. She could not bear to watch the blood of her children, the Treeclan warriors, being shed; their lives being taken over nothing more than land."

Dolphinsong lowered her ears uneasily, imagining the desperation in Harrowingpride's eyes when she had left the nursery, and the helpless kittens she had been protecing, to plead with her invaders.

"That was a rough winter for Treeclan. A big part of their territory was gone, and they did not have the prey to sustain everyone. And to complicate matters even further, their deputy, Koisplash, was having a secret affair with the Deathclan leader, Viper. But then Deathclan's General, Scarlet - the cat who had led the attack - turned against her own clan. Confused and without sufficient leadership, the Rockclan and Deathclan forces scattered, leaving them vulnerable. Treeclan took their chance and retaliated, spectacularly so, regaining their lost land."

Dolphinsong then lead Bluepaw to the Rockclan border. It compromised of rocky cliffs on the side of Iceclan's mountain, so steep that you couldn't help but wonder how a clan could live so dangerously.

"This is Rockclan. They're the smallest of the clans, but these cats are very, very tough. It's a peculiar little clan.. They had an unusually close relationship with Deathclan. In fact, a few Deathclanners even have relatives within Rockclan. But their relationship more or less fell to pieces when they fought a war against each other not long ago."

Dolphinsong realised that so far, she had told only of war and destruction. She decided to share a lighter part of history with her apprentice.

 "Hey, Bluepaw.. a long time ago, when Treeclan's camp was destroyed by the fire, they had nowhere to go. Their prey had fled the vicinity, and they were left hungry and homeless. And then, Iceclan took them in! The Iceclan warriors worked so hard to feed every Treeclan queen, kit, and elder. They would not allow the forest cats to perish. You see, we are all united in our goal to preserve life. There is nothing more precious than a beating heart, because you will not find the same heart again if you searched the whole world."

Dolphinsong's tail swished blissfully from side to side as she told the story of the clans, her eyes lighting up in rapture.

"Your are allowed to talk to cats of the other three clans; some even have inter-clan friendships. You may have border meetings. However, you must never cross another clan's border, otherwise you will have given the native cat the legal right to attack you."

Now that Bluepaw's history lesson was over, they could begin survival training.

"What do you know about hunting?"