Ashes to Ashes is a medieval warriors roleplay in a territory roughly based on 1300s Scotland. While we include certain elements of traditional warriors, we also have our unique flavor in the cultures and territory of our clans, within the context of a completely different time. Our three clans, Moorclan, Firthclan, and Pineclan, are not your typical clans, with different forms of leadership and traditions based on their past. Our most unique element, however, is how we have for the most part replaced Starclan with interacrtion with the realm of faerie. We welcome you to check out our website using the links to the right, or connect with us in the cbox below!
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3/31/2018
Welcome to Ashes to Ashes! We are working on getting things up and running, we would love to see all of you joining us!
The thaw is underway, though the days and nights are still chill. It is a short break between the snow and rain, with a brisk wind blowing away any patches of clouds.
Regalia worked several long, hard moons to garner the territory she now called her own. Most clowders stayed out in the fields and farms where things were relatively safer but Regalia's Clowder made their home in the human village. The reason being that Regalia grew up in the village and spent her whole life living on these streets. She knew the alleys and streets like the back of her own paw. Information she passed on to the rest of the clowder. Things worked out in the end and everyone in the clowder made a decent living in the village. Several blocks of the village were marked specifically to Regalia's scent and most of the locals knew not to cross the large fawn she cat.
Currently, the clowder was staying on nearby the Blacksmith's workshop. The human who worked the Blacksmith worked long hours into the night and the fires of his forge heated the area around the workshop. It had been a favourite of the clowder's to stay when the weather turned cold. Earlier in the week there had been several surprise snow falls that had caught even weather-weary Regalia off guard and forced the clowder to retreat to the blacksmith's for warmth.
Regalia had just turned the corner to the blacksmith's workshop and even from a distance she could see and smell the black smoke that poured out of the chimney stacks; indicating that the blacksmith was still working away, despite the late hour. Regalia tightened her hold around her mouth full of meat she had stolen from the butchers. Sure, she could hunt for her clowder mates, but stealing was a lot less effort. The humans were slow and stupid. It was a simple matter of stealing a meal right out from under their nose.
Her pace quickened as the familiar scent of her clowder mates reached Regalia's nose. She was close to being home and that gave her the energy to break out into a brisk trot. She weaved around the legs of the humans in the street then ducked into the alley behind the blacksmith's workshop. She squeezed her way through a whole in the fence - a much easier feat for her clowder mates - and emerged into the clowder's temporary setup behind the blacksmith's. Regalia dropped the meat in favour of letting out some loud, excited chirps to announce her arrival.
The young black cat stood in the shallows of a great, still body of liquid. Far above her, in the cold-blue night sky, a single eyeball moon glared down at her, wavering as if underwater. She was stuck there, it seemed. In front of her she saw the watery imitation of the moon high above, but this time it was tinged an ominous deep red. The waters lapping at her paws were sticky. Clung to her back fur like the weak paws of kittens. Kittens. As she stayed, transfixed, little forms started to bob to the surface, turning up and over as if possessed by some sort of otter. And in the moonlight, she could see the undeveloped crevices of their faces, highlighted by the moon - highlighted by the moon - highlighted by the-
Dubhan awoke with a start. It took her a few seconds to figure out where she was; she still wasn't quite used to the city, and the overwelming scent of cinder from the blacksmith threw her off. But then she remembered the clowder, and Regalia. Her tail had been bouncing anxiously, and with a slightly-stiff paw, she gave her ears a quick clean. Calm down. You're safe now. With allies.
Now, what was that delicious scent of meat coming from...?
Arching her spine, Dubhan rose and stretched the sleep out of her limbs. She shook her static-inflicted back paw and squeezed her way out from under the old crate she'd been using as a nest, her large belly hanging around her usually petite form. It was already more of a tight fit, from even when they'd first came to this camp. Soon. That's probably why she'd had the nightmare.
Anyway. She shouldn't be worrying now, at least. Spotting the large, fluffy form of Regalia at the entrance to their enclave (with the source of that wonderful smell, no mistake) Dubhan gracefully bowed her thin head and rather awkwardly waddled over.
Regalia chattered in amusement when Dubhan bowed her head at her arrival. She might be the leader of the clowder but she was by now means a leader in the traditional sense. Actually, it made her kind of uncomfortable to be treated with such... dignity. Regalia scuffed her paws against the ground, suddenly mindful of her dirt covered fur from a long day of "hunting" in the village. She looked more like a ratty street cat than some courtly leader.
"Dubhan!" Regalia meowed enthusiastically. Instead of making the heavily pregnant queen come to her, Regalia leaped forward to cover the space between them. She carefully, gently butted heads with Dubhan, her whole chest rumbling with a deep purr. Regalia was always purring around her clowder mates. She never seemed to stop, really. "I brought you backs some meat from the butchers. But if you'd like something else, there's still enough time in the day to go out again." Regalia continued to fret. She turned around long enough to pick up her catch and quickly dropped it at Dubhan's paws. She nudged it towards the queen insistently. "I overheard some dock cats; they said the fishing today is good. A school of pike were making their way up the firth this morning. If I leave now, I could nip up towards the clan cats territory and be back by tomorrow morning with the biggest pike you've ever seen!"
Regalia looked down at the slab of meat she had stolen from the butchers thoughtfully. "I was going to head in that direction anyways. Some of the girls mentioned they were having cravings for those berries found on the edge of the forest. The pike shouldn't be too far off from there. Is there anything you have a taste for?" She asked Dubhan kindly. "The security at the farms has been pretty lax lately. I bet I could get away with stealing some of those chicken eggs that you like." Regalia was quite familiar with the farms to the east. Many other clowders made their homes there. Regalia didn't like causing them grief but she was notorious for doing anything for her clowder mates.
Dubhan raised her head as Regalia bounded towards her, long fur fanning out from her face as she bounced in joy. A quiet, croaky purr radiated from her throat as she playfully buttled heads with the larger queen, stopping for a second to breathe in her sweet scent. She smelled of sunkissed dirt and mint, as well as the faintest tinge of foreign spices, picked up from brushing ankles with humans.
"I brought you back some meat from the butchers." Regalia said between her purrs, pulling away from the embrace. "But if you'd like something else, there's still enough time to go out again."
She leaned back behind her and grabbed the source of that smell - a fresh cut of meat, likely beef from the grassy scent rising from it - and deposited it at Dubhan's neat little feet. Her mouth had begun to water, she was simply so hungry lately, and - But surely Regalia was hungry too? At first, Dubhan had been wrought with emotion, too glad to see Regalia after that horrific dream to fully take in the appearance of her. But now that she had fully emerged from her dreamy stupor, she came to realise how truly exhausted the large cat was. The long fur around her feet, usually a bright, cloud-white, was matted and clumped with chunks of gritty beige dirt. Her broad, strong shoulders were hunched over and the fur around her stomach was raggedy from being dragged along the ground. It was only a few seconds after that she realised that she was being spoken to.
"- security at the farms has been pretty lax lately. I bet I could get away with stealing some of those chicken eggs that you like."
"Oh-" Dubhan replied, still unused to being spoken to. "You don't have to do that for me."
"If-If you want to..."Dubhan leaned forward and, gently, nuzzled the piece of meat closer to Regalia. In the mountains, this sort of thing was never a question, per se. A cat would come if you had killed, and a cat would eat with you in silence. But in the clowder it was different. "Eat with me before all the other queens wake up...?"
Regalia relaxed against Dubhan, practically melting in her presence. She smiled in her usual subtle, small way. "I'd do anything for you, Dubhan." Regalia spoke honestly. It was a simple truth which she felt no embarrassment voicing out loud. At least, not to her clowder mates. Regalia tilted her head at Dubhan, regarding her with her calm blue eyes. Sure, she might have felt worked down to her bones, but it was all worth it to see her clowder mates looking so healthy and well taken care of. "Chicken eggs it is. Although," She twitched her whiskers with amusement. "I'm not really sure how I am going to carry them all the way back here without breaking them. Should be an interesting adventure."
The large she cat melted even more at Dubhan's offer. "I would love to." Regalia meowed quietly. "Thank you." Moved by her hunger, Regalia quickly ripped off a piece of meat and swallowed it whole. She was ravenous from a day of hunting for her clowder mates. There was no way she was turning down an offer of a good meal before she returned to her hunt. Still, she made sure to only take a small portion of the meat and leave the majority for Dubhan.
Chewing thoughtfully, Regalia regarded Dubhan carefully. Her eyes lingered on her pregnant belly. "How are you? I mean - you and the kits." She felt a twinge of unease at her clumsy attempt at phrasing the question. She had sworn off kits after having her last - and only - litter for good reason. She wasn't the best mother. Her clowder mates were a different story. They were wonderful mothers, naturally skilled at taking care of kits. "I am not the best with herbs but I remember the ones you taught me. Would you like to restock on any of them?"
Dubhan didn't protest when Regalia decided against resting. Truthfully, she really did love those eggs. The taste of them reminded her of her kithood, when everything was simpler and she didn't feel so pressured all the time. Whilst she didn't reminisce about that time of her life often for fear of becoming miserable and mentally lost, it was always nice to remember things once in a while.
"I'm not really sure how I am going to carry them all the way back here without breaking them. Should be an interesting adventure." Regalia half murmered to herself, a twinge of joviality passing across her features.
"Oh, don't worry about that." Dubhan replied to her, equally as absentminded. "I always used to pile them all onto a large leaf or a piece of human fabric and cover them with cobwebs to stick them down. Then I just dragged them along in my mouth."
But that was for later. For now, they could eat. Dubhan gently bumped heads with Regalia as she leaned down to chew on the meat. The taste of it was mesmerizing, the iron kick of the blood, the gentle, jellylike texture of the fats and gristle, the rough, earthen taste of the lean sections... truly mesmerizing. So mesmerizing, in fact, that it took Regalia's question to pull Dubhan out of her trance.
"How are you? I mean - you and the kits."
"Ah-" Dubhan rose, giving her chin and upper lip a quick lick to clear away all the juices... "Uh...Ok."
It was hard to answer such a question truthfully. So far? Nothing drastic physically had occurred. This pregnancy was different from her first one, which had been rife with issues and errors, although she suspected that part of that was due to her being inexperienced and part due to the genetic makeup of the kits she'd been carrying. Half-wildcat kits were always bigger than their domestic-cat counterparts, she'd discovered. But not even Dubhan's morning sickness had been that bad this time around. In a few sunrises time, however, she suspected that her poor bladder may begin to feel the strain of so many body piling on top of it.
Regalia nodded. "I am not the best with herbs but I remember the ones you taught me. Would you like to restock on any of them?"
"Yes." Dubhan replied. "I would like some fenugreek roots - it's a small, green, three-leaved plant, and it grows in warm and dry soil. And perhaps some Catsear leaves - which is a large yellow plant - and some cobwebs. Yes. Oh, and some burdock. You can never have enough burdock."
