「♚」 THE SIN-EATER「♚」 ╰► WORMBITE he | him X heavily scarred tall & malnourished black tom with white speckles; cloudy amber eyes. his left ear is half torn off and he walks with a limp; wears a damaged black spiked collar and a few black nail caps.X
content + interaction warning : this character frequently explores themes of mental health, complex trauma, and abuse
the black oriental walks slowly, paws stepping quietly as he travels through the shadows. a habit, at this point. had anyone who knew him saw him it was clear the time apart had not been kind. whilst he had always had a limp in his front rightleg it had now been made more prominent; and his left hindleg too didn't seem to be in the finest condition. strangely, a thick black spiked collar is wrapped around his throat. it is incredibly damaged with teeth marks and the remains of someone attempting to take it off. a few of his claws are sheathed by black caps, perhaps more used to join them. in addition, many new scars littered his haggard body, pink stark against thin black fur in addition to existing injuries. his ribs and spine jutted out. he had already been rather lanky but it had increased by tenfold.
but despite the eyebags under his eyes a fire still remained flickering in his irises; a persistent determination. his endurance had always been his strongest trait. wormbite knew he had to get back to beanstar — to riverclan.
he didn't know what became of daypaw. (or why help never came.) he couldn't ,, live without these answers. if he did not return, the guilt would consume him. how could he call himself a worthy warrior if he relented? he had survived death, this would not take him. this too shall pass. it had become a daily mantra throughout it all; even when his body felt like it would give up on him.
he slept little. a part of him could never settle down; to believe he was truly safe. besides sleep always offered reenactments, memories, replay on replay on replay. he went through the motions, checked behind him. once, twice, thrice — he covered his tracks. (is there something hiding in the bushes? check, change your sleep location - ) perhaps it was wormbite's fault his body seemed to persist against him; he didn't take care of it. stopping to do anything but the bare minimum meant wasting time. he needed to get home.
TIME HAD AT ONE POINT CAME TO A HALT .
he did not know how long it had been. the journey seemed like an eternity. he could not track the days when he was in the Pit. with the twolegs it had been easier, he knew when the sun rose and far but even then sometimes the day would escape him — like grains of sand being blown away. at some point he realized it was better to stop fighting it. trying to remember too much would always put him right back in that Pit. where the stone had eyes; where a mouse and a wolf couldn't stop playing with their food.
it had taken him a long time to reach riverclan's territory. the Pit had been everchanging, every so couple of moons it would be moved. getting further and further away from his home. they had wanted to make wormbite a dead man. (to make him disappear.) sometimes - sometimes he felt as if he was decaying from the inside, but he knew his heart still thumped and every breath he took was his so, by all technicality he was a living, breathing man.
when the ground started to sink with every pawstep and the scent of fish simmered in his mouth (his stomach rumbled; shocking considering it felt as if his body had mostly given up on sending hunger signals. ) he knew he was close to his home. it edged wormbite on, pawsteps moving quicker and quicker. he was so close, it was almost all over. soon it would all be over. it would - take a while to adjust. the last time - the last time it had all,,, gotten away from him ... (he stops, frowning. last time everything he had ever known had been taken away. he shakes this thought out of his mind.)
wormbite knew the idea of normalcy was not promised but he had his trust in beanstar and gingerfrost. they both believed in upholding riverclan's integrity. even if bean's start to leadership had been .. rocky - little bit too ,,eager, but he meant well.
then, the scent of riverclan suddenly became incredibly strong. wormbite came to a halt, his heart lurching with sudden excitement. hope, actually. he didn't know when was the last time he felt that. (fawnlight's voice echoed in the back of his mind.) he tilts his head down, looking at where he assumed the boundary to be. he wanted to cross it, to run into the camp he knew by the back of his paw. expect that was foolish. he did not know how his return would be received.
for all they knew, he was likely dead or a traitor.
wormbite sighs quietly to himself, taking a seat down at the border. his thin tail wraps around himself, the clouds were broken - only barely letting a few slithers of sunlight to seep through and hit against his back. sitting in the same place for so long was foolish; felt like a death sentence. he had been on the run that he didn't really know how to stop.
despite that. wormbite waits for a patrol.
and he waits
and he waits
and he waits.
__________________
❝ hold on tight to this time,
this place 'cause everything you know will be erased.
you were born inside your head.
and that is where you'll be when you are dead. ❞ -- the sleepy consumes me --
꒰ pronouns.cc꒱
Last edited by wolfie; May 23rd, 2024 at 09:03 PM.
Padding out of camp at a brisk pace, it was clear to any onlookers that the deputy had a mission today. Her blue eyes were narrowed and she traversed the forest with a pretty fast trot. She needed to first get away from the hustle and bustle of the clearing and only when the noises around her were just that of the forest did she slow. Dusklion let her gaze sweep the scene around her. Parting her jaws, she soon was able to zero in on the target of her mission today; a crow.
"You're mine, feather-butt," came the low snarl from a half-smirked maw as Dusklion slunk into the shadows, practically blending in [shadow fiend active!] as she slid closer to her target. Her paws landed almost silently with each step she took, closing in faster and faster until... the dark tabby leapt from the bushes with both paws landing on the bird before it could even take off. It's shrill call was cut short as the deputy's fangs made it ho limp. A satisfied snort left her as she picked the wretched bird up, trotting away from the scene of the crime.
She was set to head back to camp with this - having wanted to strike this annoying crow that kept cawing at her down for some time now - when the faintest scent of outsider hit her nose. Immediately on high alert and claws out Dusklion turned tail and bolted towards the source. It got stronger as she continued, the trees starting to thin as she neared the outskirts border until they no longer blocked her view and up ahead she saw -
Jaw dropping, dead crow tumbling from it as a few feathers came loose, Dusklion stood in shock as she came face to face with a cat she had thought was gone. (not dead, because this cat she knew couldn't be killed - he just couldn't.) Frozen to the spot she stared at his half-dead form, noticing how... how frail he looked. "...Bites...?" She spoke it quietly, as if not wanting to shatter the illusion if it was one. Because there was no way in the stars great light that he had actually returned - that the stars had listened to any of her pitiful whimpers to send at least one of them back for her. Still though hope glowed in her eyes as she took another paw step forward, eyes widening along with the growing smile on her maw. It was rare the deputy was left speechless.
「♚」 THE SIN-EATER「♚」 ╰► WORMBITE he | him X heavily scarred tall & malnourished black tom with white speckles; cloudy amber eyes. his left ear is half torn off and he walks with a limp; wears a damaged black spiked collar and a few black nail caps.X
content + interaction warning : this character frequently explores themes of mental health, complex trauma, and abuse
he heard them before he saw them. paws thumping through the forest — quick, purposeful. a reaction he was familiar with, the quickness you respond to an outsider and he wonders briefly what scents still cling to him. (he never felt like he could scrub the dirt from the Pit completely off.)
his bones start to scream at him to move, to react, to at least back a few pawsteps away. the voice in the back of his head keeps protesting but instead wormbite keeps his tail wrapped around his paws — covering his claws that dug firmly in the dirt to keep himself grounded. to keep completely still. like a statue — or a corpse. something he had honed.
his heart thumps against his chest until the sounds of stomping paws come closer and closer and closer and then they stop. the scent of riverclan hits his nose once more, it is so strong. he knows they have arrived. his ears twitch at the sound of something being dropped. wormbite stiffens, cloudy eyes drifting to the ground. he opens his mouth to speak - to say something but he closes it soon after, eyebrows furrowing as if mentally going over on what to say. (that had always been his issue, wasn't it? not knowing the right words?)
expect, she speaks first and recognition clicks swiftly. "dussklion, " he greets, the expression he carries softening; shoulders slumping with a sense of relief. his claws sheathe, the thump in his chest still hammered but less so. he remembered her, albeit less clearly than he wished (still, she was fadingsun's sister) but a memory of a fiery spirit is brought to mind. a she-cat with a determinedness that was unwavering. dusklion was the type of cat that was hard to forget.
"it - it iss a pleassure to ssee you again. i hope a, all hass been er, well?" wormbite stumbles through his words, his voice picking up during the last statement - almost a question. (he holds back a grimace at hearing his own voice. it is hoarse and cracks. it does not sound like it belongs to him.) his gaze drifts back upward in the vague direction of where dusklion stood.
",,iss beansstar currently occupied? ii am afraid i have much to sspeak to him about, " he inquires, misshaped ears perking up with misguided hope. perhaps it was selfish but all the sin-eater desired in this very moment was to see the seal point tom again. it had been one of the few things that had kept him going. besides, wormbite wasn't entirely fond of the idea of explaining to anyone but him what had happened.
__________________
❝ hold on tight to this time,
this place 'cause everything you know will be erased.
you were born inside your head.
and that is where you'll be when you are dead. ❞ -- the sleepy consumes me --
꒰ pronouns.cc꒱
Last edited by wolfie; May 31st, 2024 at 12:39 PM.
As soon as he spoke, as soon as he made it fact that he was real and alive and in front of her, Dusklion surged forward with a huge grin. "The stars heard me! You're-you're back! They led your paws back here!" Unable to contain the excitement she felt she hopped a little on each paw, rushing forward in an attempt to nuzzle the older warrior, albeit a little more rough. Realizing though that in his more fragile than normal state that probably wasn't the best idea the smaller dark tabby backed up with a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, Bites, I'm just... it's so good to see you." Perhaps the stars hadn't forsaken them after all...
Heart breaking at the way his voice seemed to falter, Dusklion ducked her head at his question. Everything had been... the exact opposite of unwell. Suddenly the deputy felt guilty - she had to be the one to explain the continuous downfall of RiverClan to a cat who loved it as much, if not more, than she did. It made her stomach churn uncomfortably. "...Beanstar," she started, saying his leader name only because she knew how close the two had been, "died. Bumblestar, she took forces to take Cattail Pond 'n - 'n she killed him." Dusk knew she should've made it softer, or built up towards it, but softness had never been her strong suit.
"A lot... has happened since you disappeared... After Bean's death, Gingerstar became leader. But he didn't... he wasn't leader long before he passed. A couple more cats came 'n went from the leader spot - Larkstar, 'n Birdsnow who you might remember, but Birdsnow never got her leader name before she fell ill. Before that, though, she named Fades her deputy - he's our leader now. You remember Fadin'sun, right?" Dusklion winced as she asked, knowing that if Bites remembered her, he likely recalled her brother. "He's Fadin'star now. 'N... 'N he named me his deputy."
...She had thought she would be more excited to show off her new promotion to a cat she idolized, but Dusklion felt small in comparison to the former Lionheart. "...You should know that... RiverClan isn't liked much among the Clans anymore. We've... we've fallen far. Mouse-brains actin' alone 'n allowed to run around without control for too long. They-they went back to poisonin' ThunderClan, 'n three cats infiltrated WindClan's camp. 'N... 'N..." She didn't want to tell him. If she told him, he would never look at her the same. Looking down, the deputy sucked in a breath. "...'N during a border altercation, I... I accidentally killed Fallownose. That was the... final straw for Twilightstar, 'n she declared war on us."
Despite the way her heart hammered, Dusklion tried to push on. She didn't want to experience Bites' rejection out here. She wanted to delay it for as long as possible. "Here, you can lean on me if you need," the deputy offered as she flanked her idol, offering a smile even though she knew he likely couldn't see it (it made her heart ache). "I can take you back to camp, 'n after you get looked over by Mists - Mistyshard, our new medicine cat - 'n her apprentice Berrypaw, we can go talk to Fades. He'd be mouse-brained to not let you come back."
heavily scarred tall & malnourished black tom with white speckles; cloudy amber eyes. his left ear is half torn off and he walks with a limp; wears a damaged black spiked collar and a few black nail caps.
content + interaction warning : this character frequently explores themes of mental health, complex trauma, and abuse
└➤ ⌗ @taillow || so sorry this took so long!! ;; my motivation got completely yanked
he does not correct her statement about the stars but the thought of fawnlight pops up inside his head. a memory flashes behind his eyes and he leaves the present - just for a moment, just for a split second until the sound of pawsteps rushing forward snaps him out of his daze. wormbite flinches back, ears perking up with surprise — a reflex. he silently curses himself. " it - it iss alright, " he reassures swiftly, arising to his paws.
the fleeting silence tells him before dusklion even speaks. thumpthumpthump. a cold chill rolls down his prickled spine. her words are an arrow to his heart and a deep numbing pain consumes him; all the warmth in his body is drained from him and replaced with an icy coldness. "a - all of hiss l-livess?" he sputters, disbelief & desperation evident in his voice. he shakes his head back and forth, tears welting up in his cloudy irises. it wasn't supposed to be like this. they were supposed to cancel out each other's curses. he stumbles into a sitting position, eyes widened.
wormbite had never even gotten the chance to tell him. he never would. he wasn't going to hear bean's voice or feel his fur against his. there shall be no more playful banter. all he had was his memories now and even that felt too fickle. the first tear breaks from his waterline and suddenly they would not stop. he lapses into complete and utter silence; a near-like catatonic state as he is completely still.
he had no one now. all of his family & friends were either missing or gone. he kept - trying - and trying but it had all been futile. he knew this was going to happen; he knew he knew he knew he knew he knew but he did not learn. again and again wormbite was running into circles. he had just - he thought - bean would be the outlier.
he felt trapped in a narrative that seemed to seek to subject him to utter cruelty, to mold & shape him into something he never truly wanted to be but he struggled to believe his conclusion could ever change. and this - all of this - seemed like the final answer. he had clung to hope like a dog left out in the midst of winter and it had been broken; shattered.
he -- would wait. he would wait and he would be careful. he did not want riverclan to suffer further but one day wormbite would ensure thunderclan suffered tenfold for their sins. they had taken too much from him.
the oriental does not know how long he kept still, his thoughts seemed to go a mile a minute - swirling & swirling through what he remembered about bean. (he could not hear his laugh again. ) the questions he never asked. his thoughts eventually started to spiral and become a scattered mess before they started to feel like they were m e
l t
i ng
a w a y
wormbite blinks rapidly, his thoughts having been abruptly cut short. he numbly lifts a paw up to wipe away the remains of his tears, he feels like he's moving through thick water that weighs on his limbs. the numbness used to be frightening - the feeling of being present yet so far away from the moment - but he welcomes the temporary control it gives him. "a - apologizess, i - i had not.. expected.. for such news.. he - he had been a close friend of mine. b, but pleasse - c, continue, " he speaks softly, clearing his throat. embarrassment flashes through his speckled pelt and he silently pleas for dusklion to move on. wormbite could count on one paw the amount of cats he's cried in front of. the feeling of being seen is uncomfortable.
the rest of the news is far from being positive but he does not cry again. perhaps the shock of beanstar's death outweighed anything he could be told - which was not to discredit the rest of the events. he sucked in a sharp breath, nodding along as dusklion spoke. gingerstar's death was unfortunate - he had truly thought the tom was going to make a fine leader when he took up that role. he had worked himself to the bone to make up for his previous failures. his eyebrows furrowing together at the name of birdsnow - he doesn't remember any warrior by that name but wormbite reckons birdpaw might've gotten her name if dusklion believes she would be familiar. "stars,," he murmurs under his breath. three leaders had took up reign and fallen.
wormbite blinks slowly at dusklion's question, tilting his head to the side. ",,yess," ,, did.. did she forget he was his apprentice? he knew he wasn't exactly young by any means but he didn't think he appeared to be old enough to be losing that much memory. still, he certainly feels his age. fadingsun, his apprentice -- was leader.
he tries to show enthusiasm at the news - objectively, becoming a high rank was desired for most. however wormbite had seen directly what it could do to a feline. it took - so much from someone. instead, "it ssoundss like you two have a lot of weight on your sshoulderss, " is what he says sympathetically.
perhaps the latter news did not come to a shock to him because wormbite always believed in riverclan's potential. they had the ability to do wonderful and impressive things but they could just as easily cause destruction. instability would always bring division. he raises an eyebrow at the mention of three cats managing to reach to windclan's camp which spoke of a larger issue of windclan's own security if that had slipped by them. poisoning thunderclan .. er, his opinion would vary incredibly depending on the timeline of the events but he decided to not voice this to dusklion. inside thoughts.
dusklion killing fallownose on the other paw was not something he expected but considering twilightstar had stolen one of beanstar's lives it ought to be an equal trade. he never thought he would see the day windclan and riverclan at war, though. (a memory of a fight against coyotes arises.)
considering she initiated a war, perhaps a younger version of himself would have immediately scorned her. but he is tired. he had been fighting for so long to get to this point that he feels ready to take the longest nap in his life. wormbite also imagined riverclan had made their displeasure already known as they typically did. (he could not begin to fathom the guilt that must come with it either.) ",,thank you for updating me. er, i - i got sswept away by the flood initially but it - " he pauses, cutting himself off. he doesn't know how to summarize. to explain why the days had been a blur, how time had managed to escape him. he wanted to ask a question. "how many moonss ago hass it been ssince the flood?" he inquires instead, he would - explain, of course. soon, just. just.
wormbite rises back up to his paws and dusklion is quick to meet him - this time he does not flinch with added effort. he doesn't particularly need help. walking wasn't pleasant by any means but he persisted. he didn't want to pull away however, as if it would prove something else about him. something he did not like. and even though his skin crawled he relented. he clears his throat quietly, "i appreciate it, " manners worm!!! (interacting seemed foreign to him so he fell back on something passive)
"er, i am ssure i look worsse for wear but truly bessidess from a few nickss i reckon all i got are sscarss at thiss point. i - i do feel fine, a little bit tired maybe but that iss a given. think all they could do for me would be ssome poppy seedds but thosse - " a beat ",, i would rather bypasss. scould we talk to fadingsstar first, insstead?" he asks, worth a try to avoid a trip to the medicine den as long as possible. the sin-eater has always held a mild dislike for herbs & that dreadful area but at this point it was his arch nemesis. besides, the twolegs had poked and prodded and given him enough medicine that he figured all he truly needed was a stable eating schedule.
★ ULTIMATE PREDATOR ★ JUST A SCRATCH ★ SHADOW FIEND
__________________
❝ hold on tight to this time,
this place 'cause everything you know will be erased.
you were born inside your head.
and that is where you'll be when you are dead. ❞ -- the sleepy consumes me --
꒰ pronouns.cc꒱
everything stays, but it still changes [ p ]
Re: everything stays, but it still changes [ p ]
SO EXCITED!!!!!
