Darkwater Mire

[alec]

ROOKFIRE
[ he/him | shadowclan enforcer | purrks ]

rookfire cringed, face only slightly scrunching up in discomfort at birdpaws reply, he had completely forgotten the apprentice had this whicked talent and he certainly didnt like it. at least not when she spoke to him in mossfreckles voice, drawing all the wrong connections in his mind- no actually, he wouldnt like to hear anyones voice but her own which...well, he wasnt quite sure if that was even an option. though, how could one grow up wearing someone elses identity like a second skin without their own stable identity? he could assume it was a good thing for her in some capacity, the looming dread of something that just was not right as if perched on his shoulder, unable to be shaken off, as to coo in the voice of a loved one, lure em in and strike when they expected it least or something. however, where was he? ah, birdpaws reasoning yeah.. the enforcer slightly shook his head to focus back on the subject of their conversation rather than the crawling discomfort that birdpaws tone of voice caused and realised he was kind of stupid to assume a what? 8 or 9 moon old? apprentice had already seen every part of the territory. it was probably due to his own shadowclan apprenticeship only lasting a moon and pretty much rushing through everything, but perhaps thinking before speaking could be something to put on his 'do better' list.
clearing his throat, perhaps in an attempt to drown out the last little bit of discomfort, rookfire sorted his thoughts enough to get to explaining the obvious. "pretty obvious, darkwater mire is a mire, a marsh specifically. it rained recently so its a bit more wet than normal but its watery soil n a lot of thick bladed, kinda sharp grass, some tree n stuff... you should be a bit careful where you walk if you arent really familiar with it.. err you can hunt frogs n snakes, mostly small critters n gather moss or berries since its overall too wet for most herbs."

[ @Mica - birdie ]

[Rose]

MINOR TW: Mentions of blood, injury, & death.

Icethroat
He/Him | Purrk(s): Silver Tongue

He’d studied her fighting technique on purpose. Had lost to her so many times on purpose. To see her guard go down, her walls lower. He hadn’t managed to worm his way into her heart — that was too much effort. His affections were not entirely a lie, but she’d denied him most of anything to do with herself, so there was no use in pursuing it further. He’d thought to spare her.

That thought had been pushed away.

ShadowClan was not suffering, exactly, but it could do better. Some could call him power-hungry. He would call himself the only winner in a game of power. She had asked him. What had she said?

‘Leave me to my peace.’

And oh, who was he to deny such a lovely request? Salvation came in many forms. Lostspark had no peace in this life. So to leave her alone was to not fulfill her promise. Fulfilling her promise equated to death. Eternal rest, eternal peace. She had asked, and he would deliver.

So when the wind shifted, when his nose caught onto a familiar scent cutting through ShadowClan territory, Icethroat’s interest was piqued. He knew only one cat who took this route almost religiously every day. He hadn’t studied her for nothing. Watched her more raptly than ever, gotten her used to his companionship.

When Icethroat came in view of the Mire, silvery-blue eyes flashing with intrigue at the sight of Lostspark half submerged in the swamp's water, his countenance was carefully not hostile in the slightest. If anything, Lostspark had gotten used to his companionship; it was on purpose. What was better was that she was alone - and he had Hailneck with him. He wasn't fool enough to think he could take her out on his own. Unfortunate that she had to be the first, but what better opportunity would present itself, if he did not take advantage of this gift now?

---

She/Her | Purrks Overlook | ft. Icethroat

In dark depths he spies,
Awaiting passing paws to lie.

The sound of sloshing water had Lostspark half-turning, gaze flitting back over her shoulder at Icethroat as he neared with another of their Clanmates. Hailneck. “Stay there,” she warned them, voice low and cautionary as she looked back towards the mire. ‘Seek the water of the mire…’ Smokekit had to be here somewhere. Wolverine would not swindle her so terribly. Or so she hoped. “The water here isn't...” Lostspark trailed off.

Lostspark eyed the murky surface as Wolverine's words repeated in her head. ‘...But doing so will cost you dire.’ There was something wrong with it, that was all she could tell. Something... was... off...

TEAR.

The rake of claws down her flank - successfully ripping through fur and skin - caught Lostspark by surprise, a half-hiss, half-snarl clawing its way out of her throat as she whirled, fangs bared. “The HELL are you thinking-” A white paw came swinging towards her face, and Lostspark instinctively crouched to avoid the blow, water lapping at her shoulders, blood seeping into the water. This was a stars-damned joke.

The marshy water hindered her movements, considering the ground beneath her was uneven. Icethroat and Hailneck were on the higher part of the slope - but that wouldn't stop her. Not when it dawned that this was no accident. No, they intended for her death.

She needed to gain ground . . . or water.

Fangs latching onto any vulnerable paws, forearms, legs. Claws tearing into soft underbelly as a tussle in the water ensued. She couldn't tell which brother it was - they both looked more of less the same standing next to each other. Between the three of them, she couldn't tell which of them was the most injured.

There were two of them, but that wasn't her current worry. Her concern lay at the bottom of the swamp. Pieces of Wolverine's eerie words clicked in her mind, a puzzle clicking together, building piece by piece. Somewhere behind her. Something. Stirring, starving, waking from slumber, blood steadily flowing into the water, a beacon of its own making. A nightmare unfolding.

— “Why so distracted, sweetie? Don't you want to know why I'm doing this? I'm helping you.”

Lostspark was barely listening to her Clanmate's panting. Until a singular sentence caught her attention. Caught her off-guard enough to slip, to falter, to turn away from the rippling water (a soon-to-be fatal mistake);

— “Is it fun to know that you've been replaced? That your mother, your kin, have no use for you anymore?”

He was a two-faced liar, as she'd suspected from the start. Out for his own gain. Icethroat's words didn't stop there, though. No, they only got more believable as the three of them stood there, too deep in the water to be considered safe. They burrowed into her, warped her doubts into reality.

[ Silver Tongue Active ]

— “That's right, Lostspark. You're replaceable to them.” Icethroat panted, blood running down the wounds on his sides in rivulets, mixing with the water. “See, Dawnstar has her new litter of thirteen. She has biological kits to dote after now. Why do you think I've been following you around lately, Sparky? Out with the old... in with the new...”

In her frozen-still state, she'd almost forgotten about the lethal monster rising from the depths behind her. And it was far too late for all three of them when Icethroat's final sentence registered, rolling off his tongue on another white lie that aimed to shatter her trust completely. When all three of them were suddenly submerged, blood blooming across the surface in an artistic display, tainting the Mire's water a scarlet shade.

— “Dawnstar asked me to kill you.”

Seek the waters of the mire,
But doing so will cost you dire.

[ @BEAR. - Hailneck / @taillow - Freya ]

[BEAR.]

Things were going according to plan. Or so Hailneck thought.

He had left words to his brother - knowing he was more than capable of convincing the to-die she-cat of her mother's betrayal. Out with the old, in with the new.
just like how they'd get rid of Dawnstar. Icestar had a better ring to it, always had. Ice and Hail... why were those names around Dawnstar seem so familiar?

Didn't matter. They were in the water, a dance of death that turned the waters red. Hailneck had been got pretty good, he'd give Lostspark that. If there was one thing Dawnstar did good it was make her kin efficient fighters.

Then, something cold and slimy brushed against his leg. At first he brushed it off, but couldn't escape it when the motion was replaced by teeth. "Ow!" The fish BIT HIM! Took a chunk right out of his leg, and Hailneck ripped free to stagger back, his blood pouring into the water. "Ice, there's something -- it bit---"

Then the monster claimed them, sealing their fates.

[ @Rose @taillow ]