The haze was abruptly broken by a sharp noise, and it took him a second to realize he was being spoken to. Ah, a fish. Of course he had wandered to this border unintentionally. The words the she-cat spat were harsh and normally would have provoked anger in Fallownose. And yet he felt nothing. Still, he could not let it go unanswered. He did not care about his own appearance, but WindClan's still mattered to him. And so he blinked slowly, trailing his gaze over her briefly before raising an eyebrow.
"I'd rather join ThunderClan considering they've finally managed to hold onto a leader who gives a rabbit-dung about the Clan and has control. Besides, I wouldn't want to become a rogue. I mean, that's what you all are right? Cause with the way you all behave you're certainly not a Clan. Feel free to say whatever you like about WindClan's business once you stop being a disgrace to the warrior code, outsider."
Dusklion - RiverClan Head Lionheart
She/her | 27 moons | Go with the Flow, Beefed Up T3, Rapid Recovery, Shadow Fiend
With each word that was spoken, Dusklion felt another chink in her normally strong wall. A low growl rumbled in her throat as she flattened her ears against her skull, claws instinctively sliding out. The Rage started to build again, crawling from the depths of her chest and over the tops of Guilt and Sorrow. Self-deprecation could wait until she dealt with this rat. Then the word outsider hit her, and immediately red coated her vision.
She didn't register that she was flinging herself across the border - didn't register that her claws were out and aiming to tackle the deputy. All Dusklion wanted to do was rip his tongue from his mouth so that the vile words never left his maw again. "How dare you!?" she roared, fur bushed up as she aimed swipe after swipe towards him, furious and unyielding. "I have bloodied myself to be a Clan cat, 'n I'm not about to let some bunny deputy act like they're better than me!" Within her eyes a blue fire raged on, jaws lunging forward and snapping shut on air.
Whatever blows the tom was throwing her way, whether they landed or not, were shrugged off. Whatever pain he was causing her was unimportant in the grand scheme of things. All Dusk saw was red, and in a last-ditch effort to push him back she lunged with an outstretched claw, aiming towards the tom's neck.
The rage was expected. The attack not so much. Or maybe it had been. Fallownose wasn't completely sure, but he did know his words had affected the RiverClanner deeply considering she was launching herself across the border at him. Blows rained down on him and he hissed, batting her paws away when he had the chance, his counterattacks not doing much in his weakened state as his opponent used her rage to push through.
Still, he wasn't feeling much. Pain, yes, but not emotions. He should be scared, but all he could focus on was the furious warrior attacking him and holding her off. Still, he had not expected her to go for the throat. He had called her a rogue but he had not expected her to act like one (or had he?).
"Oh." He looked down. His fur was darker than he had remembered. He looked back up. Why was it fuzzy? His legs crumpled and Fallownose hit the ground with a thud, blood pouring from his throat. Oh indeed. His flank stilled and his gazed turned glassy, vacant eyes staring across the border as blood pooled beneath his body.
Dusklion - RiverClan Head Lionheart
She/her | 27 moons | Go with the Flow, Beefed Up T3, Rapid Recovery, Shadow Fiend
She wasn't expecting it, for her claw to hit its mark. Not only to hit its mark, but to slash and tear in a way that Dusklion knew, deep down, was fatal.
Dusklion's own round blue eyes stared at the wound, looking up just as the deputy did. She could see it, the light in his eyes fading. Her paws remained frozen on the ground, claw bloodied from where the scarlet blood had stained it. As he crumbled to the ground, it took everything in her body to not to the same. Her own legs shook, her whiskers quivered...
She had just killed a deputy.
Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she snapped her head this way and that. No one was in sight, not that she could see. But out here on the exposed moorland, she was a sitting duck for WindClan. There was no time to cover her scent like there had been with that Thunder-rat, no time to drag Fallownose's body to secrecy and bury him on RiverClan territory.
So without knowing what else to do (and ignoring the way her heart was screaming at her) Dusklion turned and fled back across the border, disappearing among the undergrowth. Fear what was ran rampant throughout her veins now, the Rage and Guilt and Sorrow all quiet.
Fear is likely what would drive her for the rest of her life.
[ @Lillith @Poprock OKAY BODY RETRIEVAL TIME!! - under their nose still active ]
Littleshock
Warrior || She/her || 20 Moons || Purrks: Ultimate predator
Under their nose is still active me thinks <3
One moon. That’s how long it had been since Littleshock had lost her other half. One moon since she had begun the search for any trace of them. The tracker had scoured Windclan territory left and right, leaving no stone unturned. Literally. And still… nothing.
A sick part of her hoped to find their body. No matter the condition or cause of death. It would be enough for her. Something to bury. Some sort of closure as to what happened to the only cat in the world who gave a damn about her. She would rather find Fleckstorm dead than spend the rest of her life wondering what happened to them. Littleshock let out an unamused huff at the thought. Some sister she was.
The molly stopped her trek for a moment to angrily swipe at the nearest plant she could find. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” She hissed, taking satisfaction in the way her claws shredded the green leaves of the dumb bush she had decided to maim. “You should’ve paid more attention! Should’ve--!!”
The quiet rage being released on the fauna was suddenly shattered by a new noise. Voices. Shoot. If it was a patrol they’d no doubt berate her for… something. A lot of Windclanners seemed to hate her for simply existing… Stars above, that Ol’ Fart is probably leading it too, just to spite me! Ugh!!! She dropped down into a hunters crouch, attempting to hide among the tattered remains of the bush.
It took only a moment for her to realize there were only two voices - much too small for a patrol. And one of them was the deputy. Huh? What’s he yappin about so deep into Windclan territory? Hell, she was practically trespassing on fish land! Why would he be here?
Tiptoeing closer, Littleshock strained her ears. Shrubbery hid his companion's appearance, but the smell was enough for her to tell he was speaking with a Riverclanner.
Perfect dirt to blackmail Mr. Perfect with. No more humiliating her in front of the others, no more doubting her skills as a mentor. Not when she held his dirty little secret in the palm of her paws. He was having a cross clan relationship!! A white paw covered her mouth just in time to quiet the evil snicker. What a joke this guy was! To think Windclan’s greatest tracker wouldn’t find this out! Oh they were gonna love her for this! Now to see who it is… She slunk closer, close enough to poke her orange and white face through the shrubs to see-
Oh. That wasn't.... Oh.
"Woah- Hey!" The small molly wasn't fast enough to catch her deputy's body as it crumbled like a deck of cards. She wasn't fast enough to spot his killer as they retreated to safety. She wasn't fast enough to do anything.
"HEY!" She screeched after the retreating fish, stepping protectively over Fallownose's body. "SHOW YOURSELF! GET YOUR COWARDLY TAIL OUT HERE AND OWN UP TO YOUR CRIMES!" Green eyes darted around the border, but nothing moved an inch. They were gone. And Fallownose's blood was pooling at her paws.
"Y-yo! Hey Mr. Perfect get up." One final glance at the border - hoping Riverclan would simply offer the murderer up for her to slice. But no. Nothing could ever be easy for her. "Fallownose! Seriously, this isn't gonna look good for either of us! Wake your stupid butt up! You got a reputation to uphold or whatever!" A poke. Another poke. A third poke. Nope, this guy was out like a light.
Fallownose was dead. Murdered. And she was the only witness. The only suspect. Crap.
@taillow @Lillith [It's been an honor 07 his body will be back in camp as soon as I type up the post yuh]
[Open for RiverClan to come to collect Roseheart, Irishawk, and Moonfur's bodies]
@Mica [Hawkfur] @Tiabirb [Swiftfire] @taillow [Bravebird, since you said you wanted her to show up here, I believe.]
The walk from the camp to the border was often a trip itself. The walk from camp to the border with dead weight was a journey. Still, they managed, even though the patrol leader's jaw ached when they reached Sedgewater Valley. He dropped his body on the ground as they stopped at the border, and he took a moment to stretch.
He'd had RiverClan stench stuck in his nose the entire walk, and it only worsened now that they had reached the border. He was going to need a thorough grooming after this. Leechscar wasn't interested in waiting around for a fish patrol to show up. "Let's dump them here and head back." He told Hawkfur and Swiftfire.
Grabbing the dead warrior by the scruff, he gave a mighty heavy and tossed the dead weight over the borderline. The dead RiverClan warrior landed in a heap on the other side. Tossing them seemed better than dragging them over, on the off-chance they were caught, he wasn't giving RiverClan a chance to call them out for breaching the border. He gave his chest fur a few vigorous licks while waiting for the other two to do the same.
Quote:
Originally Posted by taillow
Bravebird - WindClan Warrior
She/her | 45 moons | Beefed Up T3, One with the Warren
Since the moment the sun had peeked above the horizon, Bravebird had been out of camp. She had wanted to do some hunting, and get back into a routine of her laps around the territory. They were smaller now to avoid the mink-heavy spots that Twilightstar had restricted WindClan from - and from the distance she had seen a couple scurryig about but had stayed far away. Now she was just heading towards Sedgewater Valley on the mission of making sure the RiverClan fish were staying on their side of the border.
...So when she caught sight of Leechscar, Hawkfur, and Swiftfire carrying three dead cats with them, her paws sprinted towards the border. Concern rounded her gaze until she realized that none of her Clanmates were hurt and that the three dead were RiverClan. "What happened??" she gasped, eyes following the trajectory of the first body being tossed over to the other side of the border. The lack of injuries suggested no fight had occurred at the border... so what had happened?
The weight of this body was getting heavier by the second. Swiftfire was panting and dragging the body to the border by the time they reached it. She wasn't exactly built for strength; Her long limbs and lean body was meant for speed, and that was her strength. Manual labor dragging a body heavier than a rabbit? Thankfully this wasn't a common practice.
Her ear flicked up as Leechscar spoke, and she flicked her tail to acknowledge his words, gripping her teeth tighter into the freezing scruff shortly before hauling it the last few lengths to the border. She released the body as Bravebird raced up to them, worried and concerned, and Swiftfire was the one to reply.
"These three somehow found themselves thinking they were welcome in our camp. Twilightstar changed their minds." It was a dry, sarcastic explanation, but an explanation nonetheless.
Hawkfur
WindClan
he/him | 49 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes] Purrks: Flock Together T3
· · ────────────── · ·
[Leechscar - @Undertaker ] [Swiftfire - @Tiabirb ] [Bravebird - @taillow ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Hawkfur made the walk in silence with his patrol mates, shoulders and back aching from holding the dead weight for so long. Once at the border, Hawkfur made a huff of relief and dropped the body unceremoniously. He was certain he would see a lot more bodies before the ramifications of these morons in front of him were finished. He hoped they were happy, wherever in the sky they were.
He took a moment to catch his breath before throwing the body over the border, but just as the other two were tossing their bodies, a familiar scent washed over him. Hawkfur glanced up in surprise as Bravebird rapidly approached, looking worried and confused. He grimaced, knowing that his friend was going to throw herself at the border the moment she knew what happened. Swiftfire's eloquent description of what happened only made Hawkfur sigh. He picked up his body and tossed it over. "Twilightstar took care of it. We're just her to deposit the bodies." He meowed tiredly, rolling his shoulders to ease some of the tension in them.
Fallenwish's three paws carried her her out of camp. She was still slower then she used to be, but she was getting better fast enough to do more normal stuff. She knew that, over time, she'd get back to almost normal, but that could be a lie. She hadn't had a useless leg before.
She'd try. It would be kind of evil to burden Riverclan meanwhile doing nothing to burden herself. Besides, she'd take on as much as she could to make sure no one overworked themselves. She didn't know how much she could if she believed she'd always be slower, so she'd lie and if it got difficult, she'd just push through with the hope it'd get better.
Mentally, she still wasn't the best, but she could handle a decent amount.
She tried to understand herself and others, which could be difficult, but could also be easier because of who she was.
She approached the Windclan border, confident nothing would happen. Windclan wasn't stupid, Riverclan… wasn't stupid? Whatever, she was sure that she wouldn't smell the scent of death.
She smelled the scent of death as she approached the border. Internally, she either wanted to yell at something or faint comically. Or both. But no, she was a warrior and she needed to handle in a smart way.
She could see the situation unwinding in her mind. One of her patrolmates goes to slap someone, the other one joins in when the Windclanners inevitably defend themselves, Fallenwish is forced to join, someone dies. This thought only increased her panic.
She tried to keep it internal, but she sent a few physical clues at her brain."You two, stay back here. I am your patrol leader and I choose what happens." She remarked before anyone could say "but they killed someone!"
She approached the patrol of Windclanners to confront them after exhaling. "Care to explain why these are dead?" Her voice was unaggressive. If anything, there was a slight undertone of confusion.
[ @Seamrog - @Ladiebugg ]
__________________
"Tomatoes are in the same family as some of the world's deadliest poisons. That just goes to show how rebellious tomatoes are." "What about how the apple can fall far from the tree?" "No, sometimes the tomato falls from the plant."
Where did she come from? Leechscar cocked his head as Bravebird strolled up. He didn't need to answer her question, Swiftfire and Hawkfur were already on it. He could see this going one way, Bravebird getting upset and trying to murder all of RiverClan. Twilightstar had told him stories about Bravebird, oddly enough she, Coyotesnarl, and Crowtooth, were just a few names he's heard reoccur within any stories told by Twilightstar. His mother did love some of these cats like they were her own family. It was hard not to hear the affection in her voice when she spoke of them.
Outside of her outburst with Batglare it appeared like Bravebird's chilled out a bit. Or grown up, one of the two. Leechscar wasn't overly certain, however, he didn't know her all that well. There was still time to change his mind. Even so, it wouldn't hurt to remind her that anything she does reflects on WindClan, and any problems she starts become Twilightstar's.
He never got the chance to say anything. RiverClan's scent suddenly became fresh. Leechscar's ear swerved in the direction of the incoming patrol. Ah, mousedung! They stuck around too long. He had been hoping to leave without dealing with the fish. Well, too late now. Leechscar turned back to the patrol, and more or less added Bravebird to it to save himself a headache.
"We're not starting anything unless we have to. We're here to make a report, nothing more." He took an extra second to shoot Bravebird and Swiftfire sharp looks. Compared to Hawkfur, the she-cats he figured they'd be the first to explode here.
The huge gray warrior turned his attention back to the incoming RiverClan patrol. He listened to whom he was assuming the patrol leader spoke. "Happily,"Leechscar grunted, taking a small step forward and nudging his chin towards the bodies.
"They were trespassing in our camp. Twilightstar killed them for it." He explained with a simple shrug of his broad shoulders. "Stupid way to lose three warriors. Twilightstar is livid and as you can imagine so is the rest of WindClan. RiverClan's been warned repeatedly to keep their paws out of our territory. Now you lot are invading our camp."
She caught Hawkfur's look of...she believed it was one of exasperation. She let out a small, half-hearted chuckle, but fresh RiverClan scent approached, and Swiftfire cast her gaze over the border to see the diluted calico approaching them. Favoring a leg it seemed. How noble.
Surprisingly, this fish wasn't about to leap in claws at the ready, so despite Leechscar's warning to keep their heads, Swiftfire gave him a look of bemusement. Instead she began to make a show of scrunching her nose as she washed the scent of RiverClan from her fur. Leechscar explained it well enough, but it was still a severe understatement. Swiftfire lifted her head to growl softly. "Take the message to whoever's in charge of your rat-hole of a Clan, if you'd be so kind...our patience with you lot is over and done."
She flicked her tail in dismissal and rose to her paws, stretching out her long legs one at a time. With a nod to Hawkfur and Bravebird, Swiftfire began padding away from the border. They'd get to teach RiverClan a lesson another day. Twilightstar all but assured it. Why waste her energy on a skirmish over dead trespassers? They had made the mistake. Not WindClan. Not even Twilightstar had done a thing wrong, and that was what Swiftfire was sticking by as she headed home.
Bravebird - WindClan Warrior
She/her | 45 moons | Beefed Up T3, One with the Warren
...She must have fluff in her ears, because Bravebird was almost certain she hadn't heard them right. Trespassed in their camp?? The thought of these vile fish anywhere near the Clan that she loved above everything else, near the cats she loved above everything else, was enough to draw the fur along the back of her neck up. A low growl rumbled in her throat and all she could think of was all of the dirty tactics their rogue-like neighbors had used in the past.
"Oh, I'll shred them," she spat with her ears flat against her head, whipping around to glare in the direction of the forested territory. "I'll flay every last one of them and use their bodies to block their precious river. How dare they!?" Her tail whipped behind her angrily, and it was only by feeling a gaze on her that Brave glanced over to see Leechscar watching her. She knew not much more of the tom outside of him being Twilightstar's son and a dependable warrior. A cat she respected really - which she found rare these days since coming back.
It was cut off though as the distinct smell of RiverClan hit her nose. Suddenly the anger reared its head and the lilac lynx-point glared at the newcomer. They were so... nonchalant. It made her want to drag her claws down their face just because she knew she could easily win in a fight against whoever this fish-brain was.
Before she could take a single paw step forward though, Leechscar's voice cut into her thoughts. It took... an immense amount of will power to tear her gaze away and return the tom's look. More than anything she wanted to fight. She wanted to rip and tear and turn the rivers of their neighbors red with their own blood. But no matter how angry she got... she couldn't ever go against Twilightstar. And that included her son, for better or worse.
All she gave in acknowledgement was a grunt as she swung her head around to once again glower at the RiverClanner. She allowed Leech to speak first, then perked an ear as Swiftfire ended. Brave couldn't use her claws, she knew that much, but her tongue was just as sharp if not sharper. "I can't even be surprised at this from the Clan that soaks its claws in something as vile as poison," came the harsh retort. "I hope you rotten fish have made peace with your lives, because I swear to the stars above this will be the last time you see me with sheathed claws. Your rivers will run red by the time I'm through with you!"
Unbeknownst to her Bravebird had take a step with each couple of words she spoke until her toes rested on the border and her fangs were bared. She wouldn't attack, no - but only because she knew it would make things worse for Twilightstar, and only because of that.
Still though she was snarling and bristling, and it was impossible to tear herself away from where she stood.
[ Leechscar - @Undertaker ] [ Swiftfire - @Tiabirb ] [ Hawkfur - @Mica - time for hawk to step in oop ]
[ Fallenwish - @hades. ]
Hawkfur
WindClan
he/him | 49 moons
[Russet tabby with tuxedo markings and sky blue eyes] Purrks: Flock Together T3
· · ────────────── · ·
[Leechscar - @Undertaker ] [Swiftfire - @Tiabirb ] [Bravebird - @taillow ] [Fallenwish - @hades. ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Nothing could ever be simple, could it? Hawkfur was very eager to leave, beginning to pad after Swiftfire, expecting the others to follow. They had no reason to stay. Bravebird's scalding ire towards the river cats had Hawkfur internally chuckling. She'd do it, too. Nothing could stop her. Perhaps he'd tease her about it on their way back.
But when the scent of RiverClan hit him full force, the tom could only close his eyes and sigh in exhaustion.
Turning, the warrior eyed the RiverClan cat approaching through the brush. Her words were laced with confusion, and Hawkfur felt his head start to hurt. Bravebird, ever the confusing feline for Hawkfur, practically foamed at the mouth as she spat in the direction of the RiverClanner, each word forcing her paws forward until she balanced on the thin line that made up the border of the two territories.
Alright, love. That was enough. Hawkfur trotted forward, snaking himself in between Bravebird and the RiverClan cat, using his size against her, this time not in play-fight. "C'mon," he gave her a long look, cloudless-sky eyes meeting hers. "It's not worth it." Not yet, anyway. He really hoped she would understand that right now. Hawkfur nudged her shoulder with his head. She couldn't put herself in danger anymore. Especially not after their conversation not even the sunrise before. Please.
He wouldn't look at the RiverClanner. As far as he was concerned, no cat outside of his clanmates that was not actively attacking or invading mattered. Let this fish think whatever she thought, jump to whatever conclusion she jumped to. Hawkfur's duty lay within WindClan, and now that the intruders were dealt with, he had no reason to be here. "Let's go, yeah? There are new apprentices that need congratulating."
Re: Sedgewater Valley
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