Finally updated, woot woot. Waking up to a flood of reviews was nice, ha. I missed that. Hopefully the next chapter will come more quickly, although I unfortunately can't promise anything. :c
Not a lot to say about this chapter, I guess, so let's move on.
@cocolate: Yep, Spiderpaw and Sootpaw are the youngest cats in the Clan. Glad you liked it.
@Sara Darkotter: You should know better by now. :D
@Vukasin: Glad you liked it.
@Cinderstar: Yep, they're few and far between, but I'm working on it.
@NoRealReason2Care: Thanks, glad you liked it. Sorry for the pace. :p
@Ranger of the Forest: Not many at all, I'm afraid. They've been dropping like flies, poor things. Taking on everyone is definitely foolish, but they feel like they've been backed into a corner.
@Snowlight: Thanks! If Spiderpaw does get his warrior name, we'll probably see it in the Epilogue, since the story isn't meant to stretch into his warriorhood.
@SuperFirecat: Yep, Spiderpaw's having a tough time of it, and taking out his feels on everyone else, like usual.
@Juniper1919: Eheh, Kitekit. I've neglected that story for a long time, but as I've said before, I've got too much to do to worry about it. Maybe in the future, when I have more time, I'll get back to it. Maggot seems fonder of sending small groups in to test his opponents; he often did the same against Tremor and the others, back when he and Maggot were competing for the same territory - otherwise Tremor likely would have been crushed outright. He kind of has a sadistic streak to him, in that he likes playing with his prey before finishing them off. The thing about Leopardpaw is an interesting point, but what we often don't think about (and I'm guilty of this too) is that the characters don't know they've involved in some big story. They have no idea that Leopardpaw is one piece of a sprawling puzzle that is going to bring them all into a world of hurt, so they aren't as suspicious of her as they might be. Keep in mind that Leopard popped up in a time of (relative) peace, before things started going terribly south with the sickness and dangerous rogues and all. Her timing was suspicious, yes, but most cats would have probably just written it off as StarClan watching over them, bringing her to the right place at the right time. As for the hiatus...well, the settling and stuff is mostly over (I moved rooms and I've been getting used to my new roommate, haha) but there's just honestly a lot of work that I have to do now, because I'm in Honors classes. We have papers due every night, and it gets kinda crazy.
Really, the problem is that I'm a huge procrastinator, even with stupid things, like getting something to eat. I tuck every little thing behind something else, until I have a vast chain of things to do before I can feel satisfied. And, since Chilled won't affect my grades, it's at the bottom of that chain. And then I do everything I can to put off actual work.
Thirsty -> Drinking -> Gotta pee -> Kinda hungry I should make something real quick -> Eating -> Refreshing various sites out of boredom/avoiding work -> Just a few more Reddit pictures -> Just a few more -> No I mean it now, just a few more -> Freaking out because there's barely any time left to do homework -> Reading textbooks/research -> Honors paper -> Hey, I can probably take a break now and just do it in the morning -> But I can't do anything fun until I finish my homework because I'll be stressed -> Okay, I'll finally finish up my homework now -> Put off printing stuff -> Attempt relaxation -> A bit of music to get the juices going -> Zoning out trying to get inspired -> Attempting to plot out every detail of the ending -> Hey haven't checked Reddit in awhile -> Picturespicturespictures -> Back to music and such -> More planning -> Actually writing Chilled -> Oh, I'm five hundred words in, and now it's time for bed. Whoops.
That is basically every day for me, when class ends. And I really hate the cycle, but unfortunately my willpower is extremely slim, so despite my best efforts I end up falling into it anyway. I am today, in fact. I have a paper to edit and a speech to work on for tomorrow, but neither of those things will probably happen until late tonight. Until then, I will frivolously throw away my time. Alas.
Anyway.
@Echoflight: Yup, PeakClan seems screwed!
@Reenakitty: Spidey's reaction would be interesting, I think. A Leopard POV isn't really feasible at the moment, since Chilled is stuck with two POVs only, and there's not really anything for her to do in a one-shot. It would be fun, though. And yes, it's weird that they're still apprentices so far in the story, but we've only covered about a moon of real time, and we won't really be going too much further.
I think a common misconception with the story is that it intends to follow Sootpaw and Spiderpaw through their entire time as apprentices, and culminate with them becoming warriors. That's often the case in many stories, and has happened with me in the past - Tigerkit and Snowkit both worked their ways up through the ranks, and even Silverstreak ascended in-story - but that will not be the case here. Them becoming warriors isn't such an important story; what is important is how they cope with the trials they face as apprentices. They're forced into situations that most warriors would never dream of, and their mistakes and pitfalls are what makes the story interesting, I think. They're trying to figure out what real warriors would do and what kind of cats they want to be, and that's the source of a lot of conflict. If we do get to see them as warriors, it will be in the Epilogue, and I do not think we will see their actual ceremony. It's just not as important.
@Jack Holmes: Like I mentioned earlier, Carmelo has approximately zero alternatives. Maggot's one of his oldest allies, if not the oldest, and it only makes practical sense for him to pass off his duties while he's gone. I don't think he believed Maggot would betray him, if only because Maggot's been cooperative and loyal thus far - and he thought Flicka might work to keep him in check. Sure, Carmelo's foresight wasn't the best, but he didn't have anyone else to look to. It's lonely at the top. The Chilled Nation is kinda a cool name though, haha.
@Lynxeye: Don't worry, love! I don't intend to leave. Chilled will be completed, no matter how long that takes. I wouldn't lead you guys on for a year and a half just for giggles. As for the ending, there's little that I can say, as usual. Just remember that you'll see it for yourself someday. :D
@Guest: Ah, that's rough. There is a warning in the first AN, though, so sorry you missed it.
The length's pretty hard to gauge, atm, it just depends. Some scenes drag out longer than I intend, and some are shorter, so my expectations are fluctuating with every chapter. It will probably be long, that's all I can say. xD
@Kera Alter: Thank you. :)
That's all for now, folks. Until next time~
