THE SNAKES BEGIN TO LAUGH ☆ o, MEETING 11/07

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

Starclan, he was tired. His body felt oddly heavy, and he couldn't help the slightly stuffed up feeling that lingered in his face, disorienting him and leaving him slightly clumsy. He was fairly certain that he was getting sick, but he also knew that he needed to ignore it. Palmclan needed him at one hundred percent, and if he was feeling anything less than that, then it was unacceptable. Not only did they have two battles to prepare for, but they were also getting low on prey, and their entire territory was still a snowed over wasteland. He needed to inspire them, and he couldn't do that if he was feeling like shit. Taking a deep breath, the ill leader leaped upwards onto the meeting rock, trying to ignore the way that he slightly stumbled forward, his claws digging against the stone in order to stabilize himself. He felt a rush of heat come to his face, sincerely hoping that no one had seen him do that. After letting out a light cough, the tom shook out his pelt, turning back towards camp and calling out, "All those old enough to brave the waves, please gather for a meeting!" Immediately, others began to gather around, some with bright eyes wondering what it was that Rhine was going to discuss, and some with slightly worried gazes on him, clearly noticing that he wasn't feeling the best. He pointedly ignored those looks, not wanting to get into his own health for the moment.

Once a decently sized crowd had gathered around, Rhinestone allowed himself to settle, feeling significantly more stable once he was in a seated position. He took another steadying breath before he spoke, a smile curling on his muzzle even through the wind hitting his face, "First of all... I'd like to welcome in everyone new that has arrived in the last couple of weeks. So, everyone give a big welcome to [member=16583]| HIRCINE |[/member] , [member=16558]DOVAH[/member], [member=16554]LEWIS G.[/member], and a proper welcome to @Honeypaw, since she didn't get one back when she joined with the rest of the boardwalk." He felt bad that the winged pup hadn't gotten a proper welcome at the time, but his mind had been pretty clogged back then - not that he didn't feel pretty busy at the moment. Once initial welcomes had been handed out, he moved on, trying not to move too quickly and knock himself off of the meeting rock, "In addition to this, I'd like to give a shoutout to Foamkit, Quasar, and Medusa. You've all done very well with being active, even through... all of this." He gave a vague gesture towards the snow, trying not to wince as he said Medusa's name. He felt bad about everything that had happened with her, ever since the whole power discovery thing.

His gaze briefly moved through the crowd, wondering if Medusa would even be around for this meeting. He was hopeful that she would be, considering she had showed up for the last one, but things still felt... off. Sighing, he decided to just continue on, eyes closing briefly as a wave of nausea came over him, "Uh... I'd also like to ask Dovah to step up as a waverunner, considering he has shown interest in how our clan operates, and has been very active. He isn't the only one who I'd like to ask to step up, however. I'd also like Vaas to step up as either a senior warrior, or as clan medicine cat, whichever he finds more suitable. Initially I thought you'd be more interested in the senior warrior position, but... you've shown an aptitude for healing and taking care of your clanmates, so if you'd rather take up the medical position, I'll be happy to let you have it." It seemed baffling, that one as strong as Vaas would be interested in healing, but Rhine wasn't about to complain. If Vaas wanted the job, then that was all the better for them all, considering they didn't have anyone in the position yet. After a brief roll of his shoulders, he then muttered, "I've got more to announce, but... I'll do so once we have more familiar faces around." He then paused, taking the opportunity to close his eyes as he waited for more of a crowd to gather.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan

[SirDio]

[align=center][div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ — There was a heavy feeling in Medusa as she went from the camp entrance to the gathered crowd, staying to the back. Situated to the far corner, her ears angled to Rhine. Welcomes, shoutouts, promotions. Same old thing. A small smile reached her face. Vaas was given the chance between senior warrior and medicine cat. Both were equally good options for the tiger. As much as she wanted to leave, she needed to stay around for the rest of the news. Hurricane was probably stuck in the crowd, Drift? God knows at this point.

[color=#0C7805]"Speech"

[rhosmari]

The days he was dragging his paws against the floor. He wasn't so sure where the snowstorm had come from and worse yet he was worried that his brother had gotten caught up in just as he had gotten caught up in it. The only reason why he probably wasn't dead was because of some good natured Palmclanner who had dug him out of the snow when he had gotten trapped. He felt bad about that and wanted to make it up to them but he had for the most part remained in seclusion. He was also confused about a lot of things as well, there had been talks about Starclan. Something he had yet to figure out what it was all about and he didn't want to bug anyone about it. Everyone seemed to have enough to worry about and he sighed softly as he stepped through the snow, already shivering despite his long haired coat. Puffing out soft white clouds of warm air from his muzzle he sat down and tilted his head a bit, a bit unnerved at some of the things he had snooped on in recent days. Not to say he was going to voice them, no he felt as if that wasn't his place. After all he was an unknown face in a crowd of many. Even if he was energetic and buzzed with energy he didn't want to overstep bounds that he knew were placed for a reason. But he was learning the inner mechanisms of Palmclan and he liked it here. He like the atmosphere, well, before the snow came but that was something that couldn't be helped.

Sitting down his sunset orbs would focused on Rhinestonestar. What a guy. He was strong for them and frankly he wished he could be like half as strong as he was. He just got in trouble a lot. Ears pulling back he shook his head and tried to perk up, pulling his ears forward and trying not to get himself down too much. There was welcomes that came forth and he found himself beaming with a bright smile. He was officially a Palmclanner, he was a part of a group and this was the first time he had felt like he was a part of something bigger. A place where he could make friends and even sell some of his valuables if he tried hard enough. But the next thing that came forward made him shocked after the shoutouts. His eyes widened and he felt as if his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth. What? He said what now?! He was processing everything as if time had slowed down before he shook his head and found that he was standing on his paws already. "A-Are you sure, Rhinestonestar? I mean, not that you would make a mistake like that or anything. Cause you are like the best leader I've ever had but...well, you know...." He didn't know if he was the one to be made a Waverunner and he certainly didn't want to waste anyone's time. Especially if he happened to get in trouble with his wandering.

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[VASS .]

Through rain or snow, the bitter temperature felt like a balm to his fur, though note of the discomfort such ice would give the rest of the group was noted, with a quick servery of the few that had gathered. Bright jade eyes looking over towards the crowd: noticing a few and recognizing a great many from what he knew of them. The wave runner noticed RHinestone star first, and as the meeting started to unfurl, vaas couldn't help the grin.

More people, and more joining the ranks. He noted Honeypaw with a keen interest: not seeing the pup yet but knowing that the other had once been a part of the boardwalk. It was good to see her out from the ruined buildings of it. Shanty's couldn't hold a family so big. Dovah rose thier voice, not to object but question themselves, and vaas felt a slight frown along his maw as he looked the other. "It's not so much expectation, but the trust." Vaas offered, trust to help the clan in any ways you can, but he didn't say.

Still, he bowed out of the talk, as other's would no doubt raise their voice to settle the young waverunner's fears. Still Vaas' ears caught at the sound of his own name. A medicine cat hm? Seinor warrior sounded a lot like retirement in all honestly, and while Vaas had no issue with being lazy, he much preferred the thought of helping. Be it by claw or herb- why not both?

"If there is a fight, there is no doubt i would be a part of defending us. Yet I wouldn't mind stepping up as the healer" Medicine man, with claws and teeth and an edge of lethality. He knew that he had a place there with them as a warrior, but- now they needed more someone to specialize in healing. Someone who knew how to heal and Vaas knew herbs, even if they were only the more recreational ones.

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"take me into your heart , accept me as your savior nail me to the fucking cross and let me be reborn" — an antagonist with a silver tongue , a pirate with nothing to loose and everything to gain .  vaas montenegro ; he who lives to fight demons should be weary he himself does not become one ." it's not like i am fucking crazy — "

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[Honeypaw]

[align=center][div style="width: 51%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: georgia;"]It had been quite a wild ride since she had joined PalmClan. Adjusting to a new life, a horrific blizzard, growing wings... it was all a bit overwhelming. The new life and the wings she would consider to be good things. If nothing else, the wings provided her with some much-needed warmth. Of course, she was still getting used to the weight on her back, and learning how to use them. She quite loved PalmClan and everyone in it, so she had no complaints there. A meeting brought some sense of structure and order.

She padded over, sitting down next to Medusa. She could tell that she could use a friend. The doberman couldn't help but smile when she heard her name. She had no need for an official welcome, as she already felt quite welcomed. Nonetheless, it did make her quite happy. "Congrats Dovah, Vaas!" She woofed, tail wagging happily. "You'll do great!" Honeypaw barked as well, more directed towards Dovah. Although she knew they would both do amazing jobs, she could tell Dovah needed a little confidence boost.

[SirDio]

[align=center][div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ — She turned her head gently as Honeypaw stepped up and sat down beside her, smile widening slightly. Turning her eyes to Dovah, who probably needed a bigger confidence boost than the hybrid right now, she said gleefully, "Congrats, Dovah!" Turning her gaze to Vaas, she continued, "And you too, Vaas!" Her eyes betrayed her jovial tone, with sadness and subtle pain painted in them like stained glass. Her head turned to look at the ground before her, ears twitching as she unsheathed claws and drew in deep breaths to keep herself down to earth, keep herself calm. Tail coiled tightly around her, she looked back up to Rhine. But there was still pain in her eyes.

[color=#0C7805]"Speech"

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

Rhine watched as familiar faces continued to gather around, reacting to the news and expressing their thanks, congratulations, or worries. He smiled slightly upon hearing Dovah, a ragged chuckle tearing forth from his lungs before he spoke, "I trust you, Dovah. I know that you still have things to learn about this clan, and how we work as a whole, but that's part of why you're being made a waverunner. It'll help you learn, and also help me to see if youre ready for more responsibility in the future." He offered the young male a little smile, before his pale gaze drifted over to Vaas. He nodded as the tiger confirmed he wanted to work on the medical side of things, something that Rhine had honestly been expecting. The former boardwalk leader seemed to have a natural aptitude for herbs and healing, and Rhinestone had very little reason not to take advantage of it. Especially now, when the sudden winter chill brought with it a wave of unpleasant colds – something that was clear in the leader himself.

There was no time to dwell on that, however, as he had more to discuss. Clearing his throat to hopefully mitigate the scratchiness of his voice, he continued, "Now... as I'm sure you're all painfully aware of, we recently had a pretty major snowstorm hit us. And while the snow is finally beginning to melt, it seems as though this winter will be far colder than any that Palmclan has experienced in some time. Unfortunately, this also means that a lot of prey is beginning to retreat underground, and there's a chance that any water may freeze over. Because of this, I would like us to start more heavily stockpiling prey. We should try to get as much caught before everything is gone as we can, and I'll make sure that we have plenty of storage space for it all." A soft cough then left the leader, causing him to wince. He grimaced as he swallowed down bile within his throat, lowering his voice before he added on, "In addition to this, I would like everyone watching out for any possible signs of sickness they may be having. Cold weather naturally brings colds along with it, and with Vaas around to help out now, we don't want things spreading." He couldn't help but feel like a hypocrite, given his current situation.

Shaking that off for now, Rhine lightly pressed a paw against his own chest before he moved on, to some fairly important things, "In addition to preparing for winter, we will also have to prepare for two coming battles. I know that doesn't sound great right now, given our current state, but both will be beneficial. The first battle is Alithís Evgenis's raid on the bandits that have been plaguing them. Not only will we be assisting with some of our own force, but we'll also be taking in their children while the battle is going on. Alithís has been one of our closest allies, and we'll be able to hunt on their grounds in exchange for this, so I don't think there should be any issue." The next battle... well, that would certainly be a harder sell. However, Rhine still pressed on, "As for the second fight... we're going to be assisting the Coalition of the Condemned, in raiding the Typhoon. I know that this hardly sounds desirable, but I haven't made this decision lightly. In exchange for our help, Stryker has promised us free reign of Tanglewood's hunting grounds during this time, in order to keep ourselves fed. In addition, if this winter truly does end up being inescapable, he has offered us Haven Island as a home." It was a big offer, and not one that Rhine could just pass up. However, he could already see a few uneasy faces in the crowd.

"I understand that this might not be the most popular decision. However, do not mistake me agreeing to this as me entirely trusting Stryker. The man clearly thinks that he has a silver tongue, and that's never a good sign. So, if he puts even a paw out of line, or doesn't hold up his end of the bargain... we will not be kind to him, if you catch my drift. And trust me, if that ends up happening, you'll know my signal." He already felt uneasy about this whole raid things, and Stryker didn't help with his false smiles and glittering eyes. Hopefully, all would go well, but if not... well, there was a reason why Stryker needed them. Feeling a crawling feeling up his spine, Rhinestone hastily continued, "I... I would also like to tell everyone, that if you hear rumors regarding Starclan and myself... do not listen to them. Starclan has expressed no displeasure with me or how our clan has developed, and these recent power discoveries are not part of any curse. If anything, they're a boon to us, since we can use them for very useful things." He shot a cold glare out to certain members of the crowd, mainly those that he knew to be spreading these rumors.

Knowing that the meeting was getting to be a bit long – and feeling rather unsteady on his feet – Rhine concluded as usual, "In the end... I would like to thank everyone for their continued activity. Even through everything that has happened, you've all been amazing, and I'd like us to keep that energy going. Now, unless there are any questions, consider this meeting... dismissed." His voice grew a bit weak at the end, in a way that caused him to wince. For now, he stayed atop the meeting rock, as if he was waiting for any sort of questions from the crowd. In reality, he just didn't want to attempt jumping down until less people were around to see him stumble.

meeting summary:

– Welcome to Hircine, Dovah, Lewis, and Honeypaw! I hope you enjoy your time in Palmclan <3
– Shout-outs to Foamkit, Quasar, and Medusa
– Dovah has been promoted to waverunner, and Vaas has been promoted to medicine cat
– Prey is going to grow scarce soon as a result of the cold weather, so Rhine recommends that everyone joins in on an effort to stockpile before things get really bad ; he also warns of possible sickness brought on by the cold
– Palmclan will be assisting Alithís Evgenis with the raid on their bandits, as well as keeping their children safe in camp, in exchange for prey and the ability to hunt on their territory
– Palmclan is also helping out the Coalition of the Condemned with a raid on The Typhoon, in exchange for free reign of Tanglewood's hunting grounds, and Haven Island as a possible temporary home ; However, Rhine does not trust Stryker, and is willing to turn on him in an instant if anything goes wrong
– Rhinestone warns not to believe the rumors about Starclan being displeased with them, and says that the recent power discoveries are gifts, not curses
– Finally, we end with a big thank you to everyone for your activity! We're now over 650 posts, and things are going amazing, so get hyped up for gold status very soon! <3

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan

[Grimm]

Structure imposed upon baseless time, concept created and restrained for purpose deemed necessary. Light the doze child was caught within, broken beneath call familiar, words echoing forth yet changed in fundamental manner even as staged attempt to minimise that shift. Forth drawn thought of ignoring, inclusion among those called not an expectation for he was not included among beckoning statement, further spiralling dour mood even as the thought was disregarded. From beneath collected blankets he withdrew himself, discarded in messy heap, base the joy derived from such simple thing even as the chill worked between fine strands. Unoccupied the den he traversed with thoughtless steps, guided by muscle memory through the shallow shade, numerous the times emerald hued depths blinked into sudden illumination.

Assessed those who had taken their places prior to his arrival, through the blanketing frost travelling until he may occupy the other side of Medusa, against her briefly leaning. Uncaring had he grown of hiding the matter of that he felt, family those present in loose formation as further recognisable faces settled into place, among them the hybrid. Allowed her space, if with some reluctance, upwards shifting vision, looked upon Rhine where he perched atop his dias.

Lost much he spoke, unnecessary the retainment for his own training had yet to begin, the new year grown promising with the prospect though time enough present between the current moment and then to subdue expectations, elsewhere thoughts turning. Had been he more observation possibly caught the manner mimicked symptoms that plagued him alike, accelerated by the minim sustenance Rhine took in, yet preoccupied had Foam grown and he bore no head for such diagnosis. Noticed the pause, however, wary grown the other as his words trailed into taunt silence, expected decent to permit more personal talk of one deemed it necessary not conducted.

Nothing could hurt him. The simple wishful thinking a child unbroken by the cruelty the world hides behind sparse joys, enough a comfort disregarded the oddity of inaction, overburdened his mind by exhaustion that would not allow him peace. Upwards drifted a paw, rubbing at eyes that bad grown heavy during the proceedings, once more thoughts of returning to his blanket covered nest taking center stage.

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I think I’m not quite ready to let you circle the drain. all the things we’ve broken can be puzzled together again, all your sums and your pieces are enough to clean up all the messes you’ve made

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code by Wisker

[METEOR]

Quasar grumbled under his breath through the announcements, ignoring the stuff he agreed with and choosing to hate on the negatives. Trusting Stryker? Fuck that noise, he wanted to tear that horny freak a new asshole. He bit his lips, licked them, and hated how the promise of food—one he didn’t even believe would happen!—caused him to salivate.

His yellow ears pinned against his head, and he sighed. His three tails wrapped around his body and paws, twitching and flicking. Quasar hated staying still, and he couldn’t think like this. While he grumbled, he stood up, shook out his fur, and got up to leave.

Only then did he realize Vaas hadn’t decided on senior warrior, like Quasar’d expected. He stopped, brows furrowing, in his tracks, and looked to Vaas. Little pops traversed his fur, and the vaporwave mess literally turned into a puffball from static electricity. Flashes zapped on the ends of his tails and ears, and the sparkledoggo whined.

“Wait… Vaas… does this mean you’re not my mentor anymore?” He gnashed his teeth, blue eyes flying wide, and his tails stood straight in the air. “Wait. No! I don’t want to learn medicine! It’s so boring, no! Noooooooo!”

[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[kinglykingstone]

Tree was late, though that probably wouldn'tbe a surprise to anyone. With how prone he was to wandering off, it should be a surprising he showed at all. He didn't hear a vast majority of what was said, not that he would have cared too terribly. He did hear that Vaas was changing ranks, which brought on a bought of frustration. "Shouldn't my brother get some sort of say?" he asked, ears pinned against his skull. Didn't these people know anything about consent? Either Quasar would be forced to change ranks or get a new mentor! Totally not radical!

Tree moved to brush up against his brother, a pained yelp escaping him as electricity bounced from his brother to him. He stood there for a moment, panting, before his eyes went wide and he tapped his brother's side with a paw. And then did it again. And again. And again. "electrifying!"