Welcome to The Boreal! We are a Warriors roleplay set in a cooler climate based on taiga, boreal forests, and surrounding areas, with four original and unique clans inhabiting the territory. To read more about our setting and to join in on the fun, get started here!
Site News
1/3/21 - Happy New Year! Check out the most recent announcement here!
12/21/20 - Congratulations to our new MudClan leader, Mignightstar (played by blue)!
12/19/20 - High rank auditions for MudClan leader closing on December 21st!
In-Character News
High ranks are open! Post in the audition thread to apply.
Seasonal
It is currently early leafbare, so the weather is starting to get cold and the few deciduous trees are losing their leaves.
Bearstar paced the den floor, brushing bits of moss and leaves out of the now well-worn path. This den had always made her nervous, both before and after it became her own. As deputy, her time in the leader's den was spent in constant calculation. What did Birchstar want, and what was the best way to convince him that she was the one who would deliver his desired result? Killing Sunstar had been an obvious and important step in gaining her own leader's trust in the first place, although the memory turned her stomach, made her want unsheathe her claws and push them out of her body, shed the weapons that made her who she was.
Too late for that, though. And anyhow, there was a decent chance that she would make the same decision again. After all, hadn't all that bloodshed paid off? Not yet, she reminded herself. Her current position was only another step forward, not a destination in and of itself. Maybe that was why the den felt so defiled. It was hers now, by right, but the tangle of roots that enclosed it seemed to trap her. No turning back now, they seemed to say. As if she didn't know that. But what could she do but keep moving forward?
The pacing wasn't even for the sake of her blood-soaked past, although Bearstar had certainly shed enough of her nervous energy over that to last a lifetime (or nine). No, what had sparked this particular bout was the next step of her plan, the first step to rely on someone else. Her deputy, Stoneheart. The tom's name alone gave her pause. After all, the entire motivation behind her quest, if it could be called that, was Bearstar's own heart, scabbed over and buried as it was. But Stoneheart was more than his name, she thought. He has to be. He was well-respected by his clanmates, for one thing, although Bearstar didn't necessarily count that as a qualifying marker. Birchstar had been popular in his day too, and Bearstar was under the impression that she was not unpopular either, despite the atrocities she had committed.
But the loyalty that Stoneheart inspires is different, she hoped, It is the difference between wanting to kill for the clan and wanting to die for the clan.
Not that Bearstar wanted any of her clanmates to die for ThornClan's sake. That was, in fact, exactly what she was trying to avoid. Not that this goal would be obvious to anyone who had been paying attention to anything Bearstar had done over the past several moons. It was a delicate balance she was trying to strike. She wanted to put an end to the feud with StormClan, but her ability to do so hinged on, of all things, her hostility towards the clan she hoped to make peace with. It was enough to give her a headache, but soon enough she would be able to share that burden with another. I'm sorry, Stoneheart.
She couldn't reveal her plan all at once, though, and not just because it was so beyond belief. She had to figure out the best approach first, and whether or not Stoneheart would even be amenable. His appointment had been a hunch, and Bearstar had no guarantee that he would go along with her plan or even be interested in the apparent reversal of her agenda. But she had to try, and the stalwart warrior had seemed like a good bet.
And Bearstar was a bit of a gambler.
She had told Stoneheart to seek her out after he finished his patrol along the StormClan border. Reporting after a patrol was not unusual in and of itself. In fact it was expected, which made Bearstar's explicit request for an audience somewhat unusual. She hoped it would indicate to her deputy that she wanted to discuss more than just the patrol. Not that knowing the state of their territory and its borders was not one of Bearstar's priorities, but it was time to start looking at the big picture again.
Stoneheart was silent as he padded through the forest, as he normally was. His two clanmates walked behind him rather than beside him. He didn't mind -- he was meant to be the leader of the patrol, someone who had the solutions to problems. Reliable. Unwavering. And he thought that, perhaps, he had upheld those standards. And to be frank, he didn't have anything to add to their whispered conversation anyway. The two would certainly have a story to tell their clanmates that night -- the same story he would reiterate to Bearstar.
The leader had requested his presence in her den once he completed the border patrol. Assuming she wanted to discuss the area of division between the two clans, he had already prepared a concise but thorough retelling of the encounter with the StormClan apprentice. He would begin first with confirmation of completely resenting their side of the land. He would then admit to the sudden appearance of a StormClan apprentice, but affirm that there was no harm on either side. The younger cat didn't cross the border, and the ThornClan warriors upheld a defense in case of attack... not that an apprentice could do much against a whole patrol of experienced warriors. But, they could have ran home and rallied StormClan troops in retaliation to their presence. Stoneheart believed the meeting would go well. There was nothing to encourage more battle. Or, so he hoped.
Finally, the patrol made it back to the tangle of tree roots the patrol lived in, cutting him off from beginning to worry about Bearstar's reaction. He gave a sharp nod that the other two recognized as both a 'thank you' and a 'you're dismissed' signal. Mirroring his action, they then sneaked around him and swam into the crowds of mingling cats. Yellow eyes looking around at the familiar pelts covered in scars and fresh wounds, the silver tabby gave a quiet sigh. He was doing all of this for them, but he wondered if it would even make a difference. If it would lead to peace for the Clan he cared so deeply about. He wasn't terribly close to most of the cats residing in the camp, but they were his responsibility now. His purpose. Their future, he supposed, would be mostly up to the decisions of their leader.
Speaking of, he began trotting over to Bearstar's den. His tail swished behind him in contemplation, going over his presentation as much as he could before having to articulate it. But, Stoneheart made it swiftly to the destination. There was no more time to consider or wander. He was determined. Hesitation would not hold him back. Peering into the vine-covered entrance, he called out in his deep voice, "Bearstar." He said no more than that. The large tom couldn't help but quickly ponder if he should have said her name as a question rather than a claim that merely declared his presence. Would it have been more appropriate? Respectful? To sound more subservient? Again, there was no more time to wonder. He was the deputy now -- he had to fulfil his duty. And he vowed to do so with honor and dignity.
The low timbre of her deputy's voice echoed, sliding along the roots and vines that wound their way around the enclosed space. Her name, not in question but in acknowledgement, a word mostly void of inflection. It was no more than she should have expected. Stoneheart was not known for being talkative, regardless of the mouths on some of his former apprentices. His silence might make things more difficult. But Bearstar had known of Stoneheart's stoic demeanor going into this and had expected that discovering where the tom's loyalties fell would be much more dependent on Bearstar's own insight than anything Stoneheart himself said explicitly. That was a challenge she had anticipated.
Bearstar turned. Her eyes flashed in the weakening sunlight breaching the den's entrance even as the rest of her body remained passive, angled away from the light. The move was both calculated and habit. With her relatively small stature, Bearstar was accustomed to finding other ways of striking an imposing figure. Her yellow eyes were just one asset, and this was not the first time, or likely the last, that she had directed them to catch the light while the rest of her remained largely in shadow. An enemy that you can't see is more ominous than even a powerful enemy within sight. But Stoneheart is not an enemy, she reminded herself, the chiding voice in her head uncomfortably close to that of her late mentor, Graystep. She would have to unlearn some of her instinctive body language if she wanted to earn her deputy's trust.
With this goal in mind, Bearstar blinked and uncoiled herself from her seated position, bracing somewhat at the tension that had gathered in her limbs prior to Stoneheart's arrival. She stood and turned to face him.
"Stoneheart," she acknowledged, "Please, come in. How was the patrol?"
She kept her eyes on him, but forced herself to refrain from being too overt in her scrutiny. After all, any report he gave would be a rare opportunity to hear him voice his opinions on the conflict, and although Bearstar was prepared to infer mainly from body language, she wasn't willing to pass up an opportunity at hearing from Stoneheart directly, if not necessarily explicitly. Her eyes and ears eager, she awaited his response.
Stoneheart stood only a few pawsteps away from the vine-entangled den, but he could clearly see yellow eyes flashing in the caught sunlight. The tom felt his own eyes narrow slightly, already feeling the tension rise within him. But, the silver tom had practice with interacting with others, especially new apprentices who were afraid of his size. He kept his head held high, shoulders straight (yet not stiff), and his body open. It was a way for him to appear less intimidating. He didn't want Bearstar to believe that he was challenging her authority just with his existence (which happened much more than it should with the more pompous cats).
Bearstar acknowledged his presence and invited him in. He prowled forward, ducking into the den and moving to sit across from the brown tabby she-cat. Stoneheart sat quietly and wrapped his tail around his paws before giving a quick dip of his head. And now was the time to retell the events of the patrol. Carefully making sure to look Bearstar in the eye and keep his voice neutral, he stated, "We completed marking our side of the border. A StormClan apprentice came running toward us, but they seemed frightened and ran away. We waited for a few moments to see if they would bring a StormClan patrol -- perhaps in some sort of retaliation toward our presence -- but nothing came. When we were sure there was no need for defense, we then came home. I assume the apprentice was too scared to make a fuss about the event." The tom waited, hoping that his recounting of the patrol was done well. Still, he kept his gaze slightly narrowed and his body open -- ready to interpret any signs he might be able to see. He would not show uncertainty when he was meant to be a deputy.
She wanted to laugh, almost. The report was to-the-point, carefully modulated, almost bland in its delivery, a cut-and-dry account of the events followed by the barest hint of analysis, and even that was too general to suggest any bias one way or another. He doesn't speak much, but he certainly knows how to pick his words. Bearstar tilted her head to a slight angle in curiosity. ThornClan might be known for its members' penchant for underhandedness and subterfuge, but Bearstar was repeatedly surprised by the ways such traits manifested. Stoneheart did not seem, at first glance, to fit the typical ThornClan archetype too closely, but his guarded speech and general stoicism were certainly, if unconventionally, markers of his upbringing.
The report itself, however, was generally positive. It was not uncommon to run into cats of other clans along the borders, and more recently such meetings along the transition from forest to steppe had seen less fighting. Not that an apprentice stood much of a chance against a full patrol, but the fact that the young cat had not returned with reinforcements was, by Bearstar's estimation, a good sign. She hadn't necessarily expected trouble, considering the uneasy truce that seemed to have taken hold following the new leadership for both clans. But the peace was still tenuous, and one patrol gone wrong could be enough to set off another bout of fighting, endanger more lives on both sides.
Now that her initial fears of border conflict were allayed, Bearstar could focus on the actual purpose of requesting Stoneheart's report. How to dig deeper? Her deputy's stance was open, respectful. His posture indicated confidence without being arrogant, an indication of faith both in his own abilities and in the position of his superiors. He's as careful with his body as he is with his words, Bearstar mused. That would likely make her task more difficult, or at least force her to be somewhat unsubtle in her tactics. A blunt approach might work, but even probing questions could be eased into. Start simple.
"I'm glad to hear there was no trouble." A safe enough statement, although Bearstar could imagine, and in fact remember, what Birchstar's response to such a report might have been. For all their nobility they are still cowards, should have bitten the lousy apprentice's tail off, blah blah blah... Bearstar almost felt guilty for the irreverence with which she regarded her old leader's memory, especially considering her role in his death, but it was hard to muster sympathy for someone who had caused both herself and others so much pain. And she didn't feel particularly beholden to his manner of speaking anyway, regardless of how similar their bloodlust must have seemed in the heat of battle. She had never been one for impassioned speeches, preferring to let her actions do the work for her. Maybe that was why she was having so much trouble figuring out how to continue the conversation with Stoneheart. Two quiet cats does not a conversation make.
But Bearstar had a task to do, and putting off her mission would likely only make things harder for her in the long run. She clung to her resolve. Let's see what I can find out.
She leveled Stoneheart with a steady glance, matching his gaze. "In the event that there had been trouble of some kind..." Bearstar let the hypothetical hang in the space between them, pausing to let the many possible implications of such a suggestion filter through Stoneheart's mind. There were myriad assumptions her deputy could make based on her opening statement, and she hoped his answer would give her some hint as to what his perception of her was. Or, at least, what he thought she might want to hear. If she was lucky, she might even get any honest answer. "What would you have done?"
Stoneheart felt like he was being watched -- which was true, considering there was such a thing as eye contact -- so the better word, he supposed, would be scrutinized. Like every move he made would be critically analyzed for a mistake. The feeling would make the strongest cat uncomfortable, and the tom certainly did feel uncomfortable. Bearstar was looking for something. Then again, he was looking for something in his leader, too. Her yellow eyes were just as observant as his own. But, he was looking for something specific. Looking to see how she would react to his work as a deputy. Looking to see how she would react as a leader. Looking to find her purpose in authority. Looking to find their purpose, together, in authority, and why she chose to raise him up in the rankings of Clan life.
Really, there was quite a bit of looking going on and not much talking. Which, he didn't mind.
The silver tabby had the chance of losing his purpose if he made the wrong move. So, his body position stayed the exact same as it had during the first portion of their meeting. There was no point in taking a risk and revealing himself. Not yet.
Bearstar had replied that she was glad to hear that there was no trouble. The first sign to her being different than Birchstar. Stoneheart grimly remembered the deceased leader's cruel tactics toward StormClan. He could recall times in which a lack of ferocity was punished. The brown tabby, however, did not seemed plagued by such thoughts. But he didn't know for sure exactly what she was considering, which was dangerous.
Stoneheart nearly smiled at the thought. Smiled sadly, that is. Because a war had made him suspicious of his own leader.
Before he could ponder much longer, Bearstar asked what he would have done had there been some kind of trouble. Her question hung in the air as Stoneheart was silent -- a change in the atmosphere overtook the den. Tension as they both waited for a response.
There were many different scenarios that ran through the silver tom's mind. The apprentice could have attacked by themselves (foolish, but still probable for a headstrong, young cat), a StormClan patrol could have been summoned by the apprentice, or a patrol could have just stumbled upon the event coincidentally and challenged the ThornClan patrol. But, the deputy assumed she was referring to the more probable hypothetical: a StormClan patrol being brought about by the scared apprentice.
But, how many cats would have been brought? Two? Five? The entire warrior force?
After a few more moments of consideration, he responded calmly, "Assuming a moderate amount of StormClan warriors attacked, I would have sent one warrior to camp for more assistance. The other warrior and myself would have to... play a game of chase, I suppose. Distract them, until help arrived. Attacking with merely two warriors would have been an unnecessary death sentence."
But what would she get out of his response? What would she suddenly understand about him? That he cared? He was on edge, uncertain towards Bearstar's thoughts. But his appearance never failed him as he continued to observe.
"Unnecessary?" The word was a value judgement, perhaps the insight Bearstar had been looking for. But still, I maybe shouldn't have been so quick to latch onto his phrasing. But it was too late to take back her repetition of Stoneheart's comment, and even if she had paused for longer to consider the best way forward, there was a good chance that she would have landed on the same approach.
Unnecessary. Now that she had a moment to mull over the word choice, it seemed even deeper than it had initially. On the surface, it was easy to see how Stoneheart could mean that it would be foolish to engage when outnumbered. Not that ThornClan was known for its frontal assaults anyhow, so something so straightforward would be an unlikely tactic regardless of the numbers. But was he only referring to the hypothetical? How much of this war does he see as unnecessary? It could be, at most, the whole thing. Bearstar could agree with such a sentiment, although she was wary of making any statements proclaiming as much. All those deaths, for nothing? Birchstar had been bloodthirsty, but StormClan was not free from guilt.
It was a good sign, Bearstar decided. After all, if she bothered to summon Birchstar's voice again, she was sure he would foam at the mouth at the thought of any violence against StormClan being unnecessary. And any divergence from Birchstar was a point in Stoneheart's favor, as far as she was concerned. Not to mention, she knew that Stoneheart's opinion on the matter was not colored by cowardice or weakness. She had seen him in battle and knew neither of those to be his vices. But could he say the same for me? He had seen her in battle as well of course, had seen some of the atrocities she had committed. What must he think of me?
She sighed, letting out a breath that seemed long overdue. Stoneheart's poise, the care with which he chose his words, his assessment of the patrol...he had given her evidence enough to believe he was not fueled by rage and violence, haunted by Birchstar's ghost. Not like I am. She shook the thought away. He had given her plenty, and it was time for her to give something to him in return, something that would allow him to put his trust in his leader. Or something other than suspicion, at the very least.
"No, you're right." She shook her head again. "I don't want to see anyone else dead." At this, she raised her head to look at him again, wondering how much he would infer from her words. She had been careful not to mention that it was not just ThornClan cats that she wanted to protect, but any and everyone. No more deaths on either side, especially not by her claws. Or her will, now that she was leader. If she had misread Stoneheart, such an admission could be dangerous. After all, her leadership was built on the foundations of war, of the violence she had empowered and perpetuated. To break that cycle would seem either out-of-character or cowardly, and she was unsure which was worse. But certainly nothing could get better if she didn't start somewhere.
"Unnecessary?" Bearstar repeated. There was something to her voice that sounded like interest, but the tom wasn't certain if it was fascination or disgust. Stoneheart felt himself freeze for a moment before swiftly resetting to his default position. But, the dread did not leave his heart. The leader seemed to consider his response for a moment, which gave him just enough time to inwardly panic. Perhaps she was disappointed in his lack of bloodlust. He had seen her on the battlefield -- watched her kill. Was she still so driven to cause harm? Then again, she'd likely seen him kill, too. She had every reason to judge him. Every reason to see his morals as flaws.
After a few moments, the she-cat let out a sigh. The tom only realized that his eyes had been narrowed when they raised in slight surprise. Bearstar shook her head to herself, agreeing with his wish to avoid harm. "I..." He began before trailing off. He had mentally prepared himself to defend himself. Instead, he was left with surprise -- a happy surprise. He had given himself away and she gave a bit of herself in response. It was valiant, in his opinion. Something he deeply respected. He gave a cough, clearing his throat, and continued, "I see." He paused again before quietly adding, "Is this... a request that should be articulated to the rest of the Clan?" The question was bold. Out of character, really. But he felt it necessary. He thought that it was too early to convince his battle-hardened clanmates to become peaceful. Stoneheart particularly remembered his siblings with this thought. And it would be a whole different story with StormClan. But, he wanted to be on the same page as Bearstar. And if she thought differently, he was willing to listen and support.
The momentary tension that seized her deputy was enough to stoke the embers of shame that sat in Bearstar's gut. She was no stranger to what she had done, but to see that recognition acknowledged by another...there was no good outcome. Those who saw her deeds as just or glorious did not encourage but resign her, hardening the grim resolve that had solidified in her mind so many moons ago. And those, like Stoneheart, who flinched away from her sharp edges, poured more guilt into her as if her own remorse was not enough to nearly drown her.
But understanding dawned in Stoneheart, and Bearstar let the tides of shame and guilt run their course. His apparent surprise, the subtle movements of his eyes, were another sting. Who am I to those I lead? But the moment passed, and Bearstar was thankful, at least, for her deputy's rapid recovery of his composure.
Stoneheart's next question caught her by surprise. He doesn't seem one to dive right into things like that, she thought. Considering his own history, it was a striking question. His siblings, she knew, were the sort of cats that she had tried to appeal to in her quest for power, the sort more likely to praise her violence than to disapprove of it. Perhaps this difference had been part of what made Stoneheart stand out to her. But likely he knew as well as she the potential consequences of proclaiming peace as a goal. Would she be called a coward? Would that title fall to Stoneheart, accused of corrupting her, or vice versa? No, they would have to be methodical about this. And she suspected that Stoneheart was already aware of this fact.
"Would you be the one to tell a starving cat that he cannot hunt?" Bearstar asked wryly, a thread of sarcasm lacing her words. Just because Stoneheart himself preferred to be more straightforward didn't mean that Bearstar was bound to the same restraints, or that refusal to participate meant inability to understand. She was, especially by this point, fairly confident that the simplicity of her deputy's speech was not a sign of any simplicity of mind.
But she still needed to drive her point home. "I will not let hope make a fool of me." She trained her eyes on Stoneheart's, the humor falling out of her voice as the intensity of her gaze grew. "But we must start somewhere." A mantra she repeated to herself often enough, now spoken aloud. It was likely that Stoneheart would not realize how far she had already come, how many steps she had already taken. Now it was time to keep moving forward, this time together.
"So for now, lets be aware of our patrol groupings. It would be...inconvenient to have, for example, your two siblings dominating a patrol." She leveled him with another wry look. "Balance, I think, is the most important factor at the moment."
Stoneheart was a tad embarrassed by his leader's wry response. The idea of telling a starving cat they couldn't hunt for themselves made him scoff. Of course he wouldn't want to do that. But ultimately, the uncomfortable feeling of having asked such a bold question was overshadowed by relief to find that Bearstar and himself weren't so different. She wasn't one to rush things with a Clan so deep in the pool of war. The tom's momentary display of emotion with the scoff was swiftly replaced with attention as Bearstar continued.
The humor in the she-cat's voice faded away to intensity. Likewise, Stoneheart's yellow eyes narrowed in observation and concentration, ready for instructions. Bearstar was willing to slowly maneuver ThornClan to a more... peaceful atmosphere. The brown cat claimed that the patrol groupings was an important factor to this new beginning. And as the tom who would be organizing said patrols, Stoneheart couldn't agree more. In the middle of nodding his head in agreement, Bearstar wryly mentioned his, er, passionate siblings. Although he internally winced at the sarcastic insult, the twitch of his ear was the only signal of the shame he felt. Otherwise, the plain frown remained on his face.
The idea of Ashstorm or Frostcloud leading a patrol, however, nearly made him shiver. They would not hesitate to cause chaos if they were to be along the StormClan border.
"Indeed," Stoneheart mumbled in response. Already his mind was spinning with ideas for new patrol groups. Sure, some cats would complain about being with different warriors. He'd have to split up Ashstorm and Frostcloud for certain. A few other cats came to mind, too. But before he could dwell on the idea for too long, he quickly brought himself back to reality. He worried he had drifted off for too long... clearing his throat, he quietly asked, "Will that be all, Bearstar?"
So he does have a sense of humor, she thought, noting Stoneheart's scoffing response to her sarcasm. But his face quickly schooled itself back into its usual wall of blank attentiveness, and Bearstar marveled briefly at her deputy's capacity for composure. It was especially impressive considering Stoneheart's accompanying wisdom. It was one thing to stay collected with nothing going on, but to maintain that facade while thoughts were tumbling around in one's head? Although it was well-hidden, it was obvious that Stoneheart was not letting his mind rest. Sometimes the signs were external, such as the nod of his head in agreement with her patrol suggestions. But sometimes the signs were more subtle, some kind of movement behind his eyes that hinted at a torrent of thoughts, a waterfall of ideas and schemes and hopes held back from speech and expression through sheer willpower.
And sometimes, her deputy was a little easier to read. Of course, Bearstar had been watching more keenly for some kind of reaction in response to her mention of Ashstorm and Frostcloud, otherwise the slight twitch of his ear would have been unremarkable, inconsequential. As it was, this small sign of discomfort probably didn't mean much. His siblings' persuasions were no secret, after all, and based on Bearstar's assessment of the tom thus far, it was unsurprising that he would have some mixed feelings about his kin. And yet his reaction still bothered her. What has this clan come to that families cannot find common ground? It was a rhetorical question, of course, as Bearstar was well aware of the events leading up to and perpetuating the tensions that had become as much of a threat to ThornClan internally as externally. But knowing this reality did not make it any easier to bear.
Stoneheart's question brought her back into the moment, his voice quieter now. She eyed him, trying to discern if she had pushed far enough for one day. The main point of this particular meeting had been met, and it was always better to do things gradually, but...now that she had come this far, it was too tempting to dismiss him immediately. One last question, she promised, to both herself and to Stoneheart.
She hummed. "For now, I suppose so. Unless you have anything else you'd like to talk about?"
