Silverkit yawned as she paced around the clearing. No one wanted to play today! She sat silently, shifting from each paw faster and faster as she padded through the area.
"You seem... pretty lonely. Have anyone to play with?" Runningpelt said as he padded towards Silverkit.
There wasn't enough time to panic or cry. Dovefluffs body sagged with horror as Redhawk brought her precious kit into came, bleeding and reeking of ShadowClan. The gray queen was on her paws in seconds, bolting to Red's side. "Thank you for bringing him." She croaked out, haunted blue eyes darkening with past trauma of losing kid after kid. She couldn't lose him too, not so soon.
Attempting to very gently transfer her son to her own back so that Redhawk didn't collapse, the molly looked around wildly for the medicine cats, heart racing.
"Don't worry, baby. Mama's got you. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry-" Her voice broke under the weight of her guilt and terror, and she sent prayer after prayer up to the sky that one of the medicine cats would get here in time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iliri
Springlight long-furred, scarred, oriental-shaped, gray-and-orange calico molly with blue eyes; torn right ear
active purrks: herbal knowledge - tier 2 | the collector | mind reader | skip the steps
she/her | thunderclan medicine cat | 21 moons
The acrid taste of blood had wafted into her mouth before she heard Redhawk’s arrival. She wasn't even certain how it had come to be, but it was always such a constant thing in her life, yet it never failed to alarm her. In an instant, she was weaving through the den to gather her supplies, grateful for the fact that the herb storage wasn't far from where she was adjacent to the medicine den. What she had been doing wasn't anything too special; just sitting and nearly fixing up a blundered-up moss-bed so it could be suitable for a patient that manages to meticulously make their way into her den. Speaking of patients, she hadn't dealt with any for a good hot minute, and she felt her body brooming with uncertainty as she ached for at least something to do. She hated being a walking log, and it always seemed to be creeping its way over her shoulders with every second that passed by. Meticulously moving her paws across the soft soil, her oriental-shaped ears instinctively swiveled upwards frantic paw steps on the outside of her den, making her move her head upwards as she noted Redhawk carrying an injured cat along her back—she couldn't tell whom it was from afar, but just from the sight alone within her den, she knew it wasn't good. Moving her long legs to give her momentum, she ignored the brief amount of ache that trembled through her muscles from lack of movement. She was used to it at this point, though, especially after waking up from a well-deserved slumber.
Moving quickly toward the herb storage, she peeked inside to collect any of her needed essentials that she may need. The first thing that crossed her mind was grabbing a bloom of marigold, given that she wasn't certain of how critical her patient may be out in the clearing. She was certain though that she had detected blood the moment she saw Redhawk in the clearing, so she collected up a bloom of marigold and a few cobwebs for the case of bandaging and clotting up blood flow. With her mouth filled with herbs she would no doubt need, Springlight rushed to the clearing, bolting her way towards the panicking hornet as she noted the similar appearance of her younger brother, Elkpaw, being quick to examine the young tom’s grisly injuries. Thankfully, before she had arrived, she had been quick to hear Redhawk’s explanation to Bumblestar about what happened to the young apprentice and found herself frowning at the explanation. An apprentice simply just being at the border should not be met with such brutality. This clearly couldn't have been a fight, but merely torture in itself. A simple execution of cruelty for cruelty’s sake. It never seemed to surprise her just how capable of destruction certain warriors were, the irony of how it was the ones the medicine cats' could not save the only lives that seemed to be remembered by the savage rats not lost to her. Swallowing down in unbridled frustrations towards ShadowClan at the moment, after a brief checking of Elkpaw’s wounds—and glance at her mother—she quickly hauled herself back up onto all fours to give out her thoughts about his condition.
“Well… at least… you brought… him back… while he… is still stable… but I… am afraid… that due to… certain parts of… his body… being… tattered… to the point… that my… current supplies… cannot fix… I am… going to have… to have… cats go out… and collect… what I need.” The medicine cat focused momentarily on Redhawk and Dovefluff as she explained, briefly snagging a bit of moist moss from her pile of supplies and carefully compressing it against the swollen eye to try to decompress the swelling as best she could. She knew well that it wouldn't do much out here given she didn't have any celandine on her at the moment. “He’s going… to need… to be… taken into the… den as soon… as possible… both of you… try carrying him… into the den… and onto a… spare moss nest… while I… quickly have… cats go… collect herbs… that I need… for this… incident.” Hopefully the order wasn't too abrasive, but she didn't have any other choice. She trusted that they wouldn't get into anything within the den, and Springlight already felt wary enough as it was with the lack of herbs in the storage. Her recent cleanout wasn't too long ago, and it was due for restoration as of late. Pointing towards the medicine den with her tricolored tail to guide the duo, she quickly weaved over to call a few warriors she found suitable to collect the herbs she needed, and one of them in particular she knew would do what was needed. “Orangeblossom! Echoshock! Salmonshade! Come here… for a second!” Hopefully the warriors wouldn't take too long to answer her call; she needed these herbs more than ever.
[ @taillow @Dolomedes @Bean @Tallstar @dino. @poppy @Jayvines (unfortunately, due to going on a hiatus for my move to Florida, I may not be able to respond to this as quickly as I would want to! Deeply apologize!) ]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jayvines
~ Lioncrest ~
Perhaps he was growing complacent these days. A dishonorable trait that his grandmother surely would have sternly smacked out of him, however the matriarch of his bloodline seemed lost in recent days. Where she was, he hadn't the faintest idea, but it seemed his distraction from his progeny had come with a cost.
Amber eyes snapped to the camp entrance as Redhawk's hiccupping hollers and his mate's broken voice sounded out across the clearing while calling for healers. Abruptly shoving himself up to his feet, the large tom bolted out to the commotion before skidding to a halt half a tail-length away from Springlight as she called for an emergency herb patrol. He didn't register a word she said, gaze locked onto the bloodied form of his son (stars above, that was HIS SON) on the silver back of his star.
Shadowclan... Shadowclan had done this to a child not yet ready for the brutality of the forest. For a crime no worse than ignorance, they mutilated his son and left him for DEAD.
Rage blossomed in his chest, filling every crevice of his being with a destructive energy that threatened to explode at the slightest misstep. It took every ounce of willpower that he possessed not to run straight to their border and tear each of their warriors apart piece by piece until he found the perpetrator.
"What stars-damned rogue... laid their claws on my child," he finally growled, voice low as he finally ripped his gaze away from Elkpaw to stare down Redhawk with a fire that smoldered just a little too hot behind his eyes. "Give me a name. A description. Anything."
His dove could comfort their son and assist Springlight in the medicine den. He would avenge this crime, and drag the perpetrators to the Dark Forest in pieces.
Swanpaw had followed along with Redhawk in an attempt to support both her and her brother who was horrifically injured. How could she have let this happen? She should’ve kept a better eye on Elkpaw – that was her job as his sister, wasn’t it? Making sure that he didn’t get himself into trouble and being the calm to his storm. Right? She had failed. She failed so bad. Elkpaw had nearly gotten himself killed and what were they doing? Sitting in the camp doing nothing! She was a horrible, very bad sister who brought shame on her entire family–
When they made their way into camp, Redhawk immediately addressed Bumblestar, and the young apprentice found herself cringing away. Unlike the Hornet, their tears had not yet stopped falling and they surely look like a mess. That massive ShadowClan tom opted not to eat her, but the fear of being berated by the leader in front of the whole clan for her negligence was far too much.
Shame.
Her mother had been the first to approach – racing to Redhawk’s side and grabbing Elkpaw from her. Swanpaw had never seen their mother look so… defeated. It was as if she were preparing for the worst, like her own son was a ghost. The way she handled him, as if he were made of the fluff that comes on dandelions was… sad? Swanpaw didn’t know how to describe the feeling she felt within her chest, but the sight of her mother looking so tired and weak was simply overwhelming. The apologies – Great stars above, it was just too much. She could feel her heart breaking all over again. She felt ashamed. This was her fault. She should’ve stayed with him. They should’ve never have let Elkpaw go out alone. ”I’m sorry.” The bicolored apprentice mewed out silently, voice catching in their throat.
Failure.
No one heard her. Of course they wouldn’t hear her, she barely even said it loud enough to hear it herself. Plus, how would they? She was just in the background, like always. Her own mother hadn’t even noticed that she was standing right there. But could she blame her? They were the weak one. They were the untalented one. They were simply there to fill in numbers, doing just enough to stay out of the way. She knew that Mommy loved her, or she hoped so anyways, but if she was in her position, she wouldn’t pay her any mind either. Elkpaw, as always, was the priority right now. She didn’t want to feel jealous, but she did and she was disgusted with herself for feeling that way. She knew that Elkpaw was rightfully receiving the attention (I mean, just look at him), but that didn’t change the sting or hurt that came with being ignored.
Disgusting.
It was then that Springlight came over, quickly assessing the damage that was done. Springlight was supposed to be the sibling’s older sister or something, but Swanpaw was far too intimidated and shy to reach out to the healer first. She was just… Well, she didn’t know. Swanpaw was worried that she would never be able to match up to the accomplishments of her sister – instead living in her shadow just as she did with Elkpaw. She began giving out orders to a few warriors in order to get some herbs for the clan. Why was it that she was so important? Swanpaw wanted to be important too! The diluted tortoiseshell also wanted to have a role amongst her peers, to be noticed, so why was she stuck where she was? ”I want to help”
Invisible.
Once again her voice went unheard as Springlight was already in motion in search of more help. Swanpaw didn’t dare speak up louder and bring more attention to herself. She had already done enough, failing her loved ones and bringing shame to the family merely by existing. She’d never be as strong or assertive as Elkpaw, she’d never be as talented as Springlight, she’d never be as quick to learn as her other siblings. She was a mere background character in her own life, simply watching as the main characters progressed the story with their own abilities. The idea she strived for, to be the perfect daughter for Mommy and Daddy was unobtainable for her and she was only just now realizing that that was the case.
Speaking of… Daddy was here now. He… was scary. Instinctively, Swanpaw shrank even further to the ground, ears pinned against her head as she waited for that anger to be directed towards her. It never came. Instead, her father looked to Redhawk, demanding that a name be given – presumably to get revenge for the damage that Elkpaw had so violently accrued. There was no name. That massive orange tom had been the one who found Elkpaw and then saved him, but it seems that even he didn’t know who it was that had hurt her brother.
Wasted space.
Once again, it seems that she went unnoticed. She couldn’t handle it anymore, it hurt too much. She couldn’t stand the thought that all of this would somehow come back and bite her later. They couldn’t speak up, not really. What right did they have to seek out comfort for the experience they had undergone when Elkpaw receiving attention was far more pressing?
Wordlessly, Swanpaw padded up to her father and pressed her forehead against his chest – closing her eyes as the tears began to flow more readily. ”I’m sorry Daddy,” She whimpered, voice shaking as she choked back the sob that threatened to overwhelm her ”I’m sorry I wasn’t with him. I shouldn’t have let him leave by himself.” It was all her fault. She should’ve stopped him, she should’ve noticed something sooner. If only she had asked Redhawk before things escalated the way they did, perhaps they could have protected him.
Shouting. Shouting and blood. This time it was from Redhawk, and while Bumblestar had come to expect at least a little bit of craziness from her Clanmates, she thought her Hornets knew better. Turns out this was serious this time around.
"Enough," she barked, cutting around Lioncrest, Dovefluff, and Swanpaw so that she could get close enough to inspect the apprentice before lifting her head to look at Redhawk. "While you move him, tell me what happened. The whole of what you know." Because if she needed to start looking at ShadowClan as her next target with the fish down for the count, she needed to be aware of that.
Ow. Ow ow owie. Elkpaw had barely registered the race back to camp, in and out of consciousness between bouts of 'hurting' and 'mama' and 'papa' and 'thirsty'. As soon as Redhawk halted in the clearing, he slumped off of her back and landed on the ground, his working eye blinking blearily through unshed tears. He could hear her, but when he lifted his head, her words faded into background noise at the sight of his Mama and Papa.
Despite his battered state, a shaky purr rumbled in his throat and he managed a wobbling smile. Gone were the doubts from when they hadn't been around to help him before. They were here now, and that's all he wanted.
But Swanpaw made him sad again. And Lioncrest's visible anger made his smile falter, ears flipping back against his head.
"It's not Swan's fault," he tried to say, but through his garbled voice and swollen tongue, it sounded more like, "No-Thwan'th faul!" He inched forward to nudge Lioncrest's paw, sniffling. "Papa."
There was... so much happening at once. First Dovefluff came, and Redhawk braced herself for a verbal tongue lashing. When it never came though she blinked in surprise, eyes going round. She was... helping get Elkpaw off her back. Grateful to have the young apprentice transferred to a more steady warrior, she opened her jaws to explain when Springlight came in to start tending to him. Then came Lioncrest, and his fierce yowling had the hornet stumbling backwards a bit, almost losing her footing as she put weight on her twisted paw. "I-I-I d-didn't... I-I d-d-don't-" With every cat crowding around her demanding answers, with Swanpaw's crying and Elkpaw's pained murmurs, Redhawk's stutter was back to full-force-bad.
The hornet shut her eyes and shook her head in an attempt to reground herself, only opening them at the sharp words of Bumblestar. Immediately her eyes flashed open and she stared at her leader in fear. ShadowClan had done this, a warrior had brutalized her apprentice, left him for dead, and she was to blame. She was his mentor and she hadn't notice him slip out until Swanpaw had said something. "I-I d-didn't g-get there in t-time to sss-sss-see who d-did it. B-But w-when SSS-Swanpaw and I a-arrived, a SSS-ShadowClan w-warrior - a b-big orange t-t-tabby with yellow eyes - w-was with him. H-He said h-he had pulled Elkp-paw from t-the ravine..." The hornet sucked in a breath, tears having started to fall from her eyes at some point. "T-The cat who w-was with h-him... sss-said t-that another SSS-ShadowClan c-cat d-did this and... and I d-don't know w-who. H-He didn't h-have a n-n-am-me." A small hiccup interrupted her. "T-This c-cat... I d-d-don't think d-did this. H-He was t-t-too... t-too..." Calm. Which is what Redhawk was currently the opposite of.
She had been helpless to defend her apprentice, just like she hadn't been here when Gentledoe had gotten attacked. Useless, pathetic, less than the dirt of the ground she stood on. What had Bumblestar been thinking when he had promoted her to be a Clan hornet? Red didn't deserve it, nor the pride that came along with it. "I-I'm sss-so sss-sorry. I-I'm so..." Her breath was coming out in gasps now as Redhawk looked back towards Elkpaw, her legs trembling underneath her. Where was Mudhound? She needed to breathe in their scent to calm down.
Crowtalon-Warrior
Crowtalon padded into the clearing after a long day of doing his clan duties it was nice to finally unwind.As he continued walking he heard a familiar voice call his name.”Hm..Oh hey lark..I’ll gladly take you up on that offer I’m starving “.he said while eyeing the squirrel his sister had
__________________
Vinepaw wishes you well
Specklepaw is the current medicine cat apprentice for Frostclan
Hyenaslash is the current medicine cat for Sunclan he has an open den policy
Dawnkit noticed the warrior approaching, but assuming he'd go past or around her she nearly got shoved. Luckily the guy stopped at the last second. He really musta been distracted or somethin' she thought.
When he asked why she was out here, Dawnkit finally turned towards him. "I was at the meetin'. Watching my frie-- Rosepaw get apprenticed." She glanced away from him. " Should prolly get to sleepin', but I don't wanna disturb Amberwhisker. She's been resting a lot lately."
Then looking back up, the kit asked"What's your name? I'm Dawnkit!"
He nodded at the kits explanation while they shouldn’t have been up this late it was reasonable to want to see their friends apprentice ceremony.Once the kit mentioned sleep he glanced towards the nursery.”I’m salmonshade..say how about I help ya too the nursery I was going to head that way anyways“ he said kindly
__________________
Vinepaw wishes you well
Specklepaw is the current medicine cat apprentice for Frostclan
Hyenaslash is the current medicine cat for Sunclan he has an open den policy
ツAlmondbay walked out of the nursery with basilkit right by her side, she could
Feel basilkit's little body rubbing against her right front leg because basilkit was
walking very close to her mother. Almondbay stopped when they got to the
fresh kill pile. She looked down at her daughter, reckoned that basilkit wanted
to pick out her food today, this will be the first time she will let her daughter
pick out her fresh kill. She hopes she doesn't pick something to big for herself. "Hey honey, walk over to the fresh kill pile and pick your meal today."
she said calmly as she licked basilkit's forehead gently.
ツBasilkit looked up at her mother, she had a surprised look on her face when
her mother told her that she could pick her meal from the fresh kill pile, she
was jumping up and down with excitement, hoping that there was a fat juicy
squirrel left in the fresh kill pile. She trotted up to the fresh kill pile, there was
no one there to get in her way! She looked up and saw a big fat squirrel! It was
just what she was looking for! She grabbed it and padded over to her mother. "Mom, mom! Look what I got!" she said as she proudly showed her
mom the squirrel that she had gotten from the fresh kill pile.
ツAlmondbay looked down at her daughter as she proudly showed her the big
squirrel she had gotten from the fresh kill pile, it looked almost as big as her!
Her daughter had gotten something that she couldn't eat by herself, but it was
ok because that just means that she doesn't have to go get something else and
not let the elders get it. "Woah honey that's a big squirrel! Mind if I eat it
with you?" she said as she licked the top of basilkit's forehead gently.
ツBasilkit sat down beside her mother when she heard her ask if she could eat
with her. "Yes you can mom!" she said as her and her mother dug into
the squirrel that she had gotten from the fresh kill pile.
Wisppaw is the medicine cat of Darkclan. She has an open den policy. Find her here
Snowpaw: Primal Instincts, Silver Tongue
Cloud: Mind Reader
I am currently on hiatus, will make it as semi as possible so if am not answering for a long while, that is the reason why! Looking forward to being back full time, which is not happening until school starts up again. Will miss you all, have an amazing time! (mumbles 'lucky' under her breath)
Last edited by Windy; June 30th, 2024 at 07:58 PM.
She looked around the clearing seeing whitepaw hello there @Windy
Whitepaw was deaf and couldn't hear what the cat said. Of course, he didn't understand he was deaf. All he saw was a cat moving their lips in his direction. "Wha yu sai?" he asked clumbsily.
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Wisppaw is the medicine cat of Darkclan. She has an open den policy. Find her here
Snowpaw: Primal Instincts, Silver Tongue
Cloud: Mind Reader
I am currently on hiatus, will make it as semi as possible so if am not answering for a long while, that is the reason why! Looking forward to being back full time, which is not happening until school starts up again. Will miss you all, have an amazing time! (mumbles 'lucky' under her breath)
Re: ThunderClan Clearing
Re: ThunderClan Clearing
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