This place felt eerie now, stepping paw in it after so long. The deputy ignored the tightness around her heart at the thought of disturbing the rest of these cats. Countless warriors who had given their lives for RiverClan, some who she didn't know and others who Dusklion... did. Goosefury, for one. It made her wonder just briefly if this was right. But the thought of her Clanmates coming here to grieve, letting their walls down, and then being ambushed by cats from the other three Clans because the cowards had taken advantage of their disappearance and stunk up their territory... she would burn the whole forest down if that happened.
So, the best course of action, was to move the ones they could to the new gravesite, which would be the abandoned twoleg den they had stayed at. It had significance, and would hopefully be closer to the new camp whenever they found that. "...Thanks for comin' with me, you two," Dusklion looked up to her companions, Deerspark and Carpthroat. She had been surprised when the both of them had agreed to her request, because she was convinced that she would have to do it alone. Digging up bones and corpses, and moving them? No cat in the entire Clan would ever want to do that, despite the logical reasoning the deputy had - prevent the other three Clans from having an advantage over them of knowing their territory.
"We'll be movin' 'em to the abandoned twoleg den, 'n that'll be our Clan's new gravesite. I'm hopin' the new camp isn't too far from the den since Fades 'n I talked about scoutin' near the cliffs of Lionsbeach, 'n the den is already close to Lionsrange." Looking back to the mounds, Dusklion sucked in a breath. "Once we dig 'em up, we'll bring 'em over where the... the graves we dug from the battle are. I think Duskleaf tucked them around this closed-off area, so they'll be protected..."
After a moment the deputy allowed silence to flutter down between them, wishing that she could just close her eyes, open them, and have this already be done. Her heart sent a silent prayer that Fury and Lions would forgive her for what she was about to do in the name of keeping RiverClan safe. "...You ready?"
Carpthroat
RiverClan Warrior - 25 Moons - She / Her
Carpthroat dipped her head to Dusklion. ´´It´s the least we can do,´´ She replied, green eyes glittering with unreadable emotions. ´´Besides, I agree that they should be moved. The other Clans drove us out once, and I bet that, in time, they´ll most certainly try again. I wouldn´t want our deceased Clanmates to be trampled over by the very same cats who killed them.´´
A shudder ran down Carpthroat´s spine. ´´I wouldn´t put it past Twilightstar, Bumblestar, and Dawnstar to team up and drive us out again.´´
In all honesty, Carpthroat would like to sink her claws into Twilightstar for the things she´d done, and although she´d never admit it in front of Dusklion, she was sure that the RiverClan Deputy felt the same way.
The massive, marbled rosetted tabby shouldered her way through the undergrowth until she reached the graves. With a respectful nod to Dusklion and Deerspark, Carpthroat lowered her head to pay her respects for a quick moment.
After a few heartbeats, the RiverClanner lifted her head and began to dig, her huge paws making wonders as they scraped up the dirt rather quickly. She grabbed the body that lay in the grave by the scruff and hauled it out, stopping in front of Dusklion. ´´I wish more cats would´ve volunteered,´´ She mewed. ´´At least we would have had more help with carrying the bodies over to the Twoleg den.´´
[Deerspark]
He, Him\Warrior\26 moons\Riverclan
"Da da da we're dead-"
Purrks: One With The Warren [ACTIVE]
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In truth, Deerspark never really liked Sleepy Thicket. It was coated with this feeling of unease that the tom couldn't shake no matter how hard he tried. Yet he was here, shocker. No seriously, shocker. Deerspark wasn't the kind to run... Most times, but he certainly did when things just flat out freaked him out. This was one of those things and yet he was still here, his paws thudding onto the ground in a trot before digging into the earth to stop himself as his clanmates halted. He gave the two cats a sideways green glance before he stared at his paws, his ears twitching at every mew that wizzed through the air. Copper filled his nose with every breath he took and he was quick to find it's source. It was all around, everywhere.
"No... Problem." Deerspark shuffled himself uncomfortably but acknowledged Dusklion's words of thanks. They shouldn't go unanswered. Deerspark hadn't been a stranger to moving corpses across the forest floor to get to point A to point B. It was a horrible task but not one he was incapable nor scared of doing, so he felt if anycat were fit for the job, it would be him. Jeez, what did that say about him? Did he lack empathy? Wait, he knew that wasn't true.
The Two-leg den? Deerspark was honestly fine with anything as long as they would rest in peace and not mutilated pieces. He gave his fur one last good shake before he gave the deputy a sideways nod before trotting off to pick a corpse by the scruff and gently drag them over. He wasn't sure who this cat was which made his heart slightly twist for them. Nocat deserved to go unremembered, even the most "insignificant". He could only hope they had loved ones somewhere. "Ready..." He murmured between fur.
Then the air shifted, a new and undefined smell lifting into the air. Deerspark craned his neck, her green eyes widening just the slightest to look at whatever may how found it's way here. It didn't smell like any other clan (thank the stars...) but it smelt oddly familiar? Wait, since when did the stars come out during the day? Deerspark wasn't just---
"ACK!" The tom exclaimed, his short tail bushing up in alarm. He was certain he'd seen a ghost, and he had. His eyes remained in its wide position, slightly embarrassed by his yelp of surprise. He had surely been startled, especially since this cat had a voice that wasn't similar to Dusklion nor Carpthroat. So Deerspark just stared and gawked, slowly adjusting the maw of another dead clanmate in his jaws. "S... Sure. Yeah. Urm." Okay, all in favor of leaving please raise your paws? As cool as the experience was it felt so odd and unnatural.
Carpthroat´s eyes widened as she caught sight of the spirit of Goosefury. She looked down at the body that was lying between Dusklion´s paws and her own. After a moment, the RiverClanner got her act together and shook out her fur, straightening her head and tail.
´´Deerspark,´´ She fixed her emerald eyes on the tom. ´´Don´t stand there gawking like a kit. A dead warrior stands before you. Pay your respects instead of staring. Staring is what makes the encounter awkward.´´
Carpthroat shook her head. Goosefury knew Dusklion, and she could tell that the older, deceased warrior would want to talk to the Deputy. Right?
The massive RiverClanner beckoned Deerspark to her side with a twitch of her tail tip. ´´Come here and help me get the body to the abandoned twoleg den.´´ Carpthroat crouched and grabbed the bones one by one, attempting to haul the dead - and for StarClan´s sake, heavy - bones onto her back between her shoulder blades.
"It's disgusting, since all we're gonna be movin' really is... bones 'n whatever else is left-over..." the deputy murmured in response to Carpthroat's statement. Dusklion herself felt her stomach churn at the very thought. "Once you've got them dug up, take 'em back to the abandoned twoleg den where Adderstrike'll be waiting with the new graves dug. Then come back 'n grab the next." It would be different if it were animal bones, or predators. But these.... these had been Clanmates. Cats of RiverClan. She blinked and shook her head as if to ready herself to start. They would need to get a move on if they wanted to get this done quick.
But as Carpthroat and Deerspark both got set to work, the deputy hesitated. There was some sort of foreboding feeling creeping along her pelt, like they were being watched. Or... she was. But the eyes didn't feel like they belonged to either of the cats here. No, they felt different... and yet, familiar at the same time, too. Looking up, the dark tabby's eyes widened and her jaw fell just as Fury spoke. He... he was here? Down on land?? Appearing to... to her??? A nervous tickle quickly spread from her paws to the tips of her ears and suddenly Dusklion straightened up, closing her jaw and nodding.
"Y-Yes. Of course. Fury, I... I wont disappoint you! I promise!" Ears folding back as she stared at one of the three cats she admired more than any other, Dusklion felt her heart charge full speed in her chest. Disappointed.... no! No, she couldn't bear the thought of Fury being disappointed in her - she would rather have Twilightstar rake her claws over her flank a thousand times over before ever hearing that Fury was disappointed. Realizing her eyes were still wide the deputy tried her best to regain her composure, tail flicking behind her.
She recalled the dream he'd been in of hers awhile ago. It had felt like such an honor despite its... thunderous beginning. She had also been very different back then. Defensive over Fallownose's murder, not understanding the magnitude of the danger she had unintentionally shoved RiverClan into. "...I promise I'll make you proud." The words were quiet as she stared at the glimmering figure, the sting of tears present but she refused to let them fall.
Straightening up more she glanced to her companions. "I want these graves handled with respect. Dig carefully, 'n don't lose any of the... bones. If you can't carry 'em all safely, take trips. We're doin' this right." Her tone was authoritative as she glanced between both cats, before back at Fury, at which time her gaze softened. "...I hope this is okay..." There it was - the little sliver of self-doubt that was so, so rarely seen, if at all, by her Clanmates.
[ a reminder to please follow posting order and not skip over others! from here on out the posting order will be myself, dino (for the second spiritual encounter post if desired), marigoldwhisper, then paedyn also please remember that there should not be any visible bodies; these cats have been buried for a long time so at most they are digging up bones; therefore they should not know whose bodies they are moving (paedyn if you could edit your post to remove the part of it being goosefury's body, that would be great!). you don't have to describe it in your posts, but wanted to make sure to keep this realistic! ]
Her Clanmates clearly had no idea what was going on either, and that only served to panic the former kittypet further, dread filling her heart as she shrank back against her patrolmates. Wisteriawren squeezed her eyes shut.
And then… “Hi!” Followed by nonstop, high-pitched giggling as a small, malnourished white-furred ghost came fully into view, flickering wildly in and out of view for a moment before stabilizing. “You should have seen. The looks on your faces, for moon’s sake! Oh, the moon, because the sun is fake. You must request from it a boon. It is not out yet.” The little ghost chattered on, pale eyes boring into them, and then past them, seemingly talking to air. Wisteriawren was still unsettled, but less alarmed than before. “The sun can't hurt me, you see. Death is the key. A wish took my eyes. I keep half of them at all times.” The eccentric apprentice announced to nobody in particular, and then walked right through them.
“Um.” Wisteriawren blinked, looking to her patrolmates for guidance as the little spirit skipped off, and then paused and turned around, seemingly re-realizing that they existed.
“Oh, hello there! Did I already say that? Did I already say that?” The apprentice repeated like a broken record, and then turned in a circle. For another moment, her form flickering, fur turning soggy, dripping with water that didn't exist. Left ear turning shredded, a scar across her face, left eyeball missing. And then she reverted back to normal, a wide, oblivious smile still stretched over her face. “Hi!”
She'd already said that. The ghost was not done yet, though, it seemed, though she had ignored all their questions and initial hostilie reactions. Walking up to Heroneye, the vibrant spirit dulled, smile disappearing in favor of a blank stare. “Blue. Eye blue. Like night sky.” Her head tilted slowly. “Welcome back home. Is it home? Yours, or mine? Is it mine? I am still dead, and murder is not fine. Goodbye, your time is running out. No, mine.” And then she disappeared.
A small gasp escaped from Heroneye as the figure suddenly came into focus, revealing the spirit of the white-pelted apprentice. Was that... Minkpaw? Heroneye had never gotten the chance to interact with the apprentice before her death, but she could at least remember her face. Well, not exactly the horrific monstrosity she'd been expecting. Not that she was complaining, though; she'd take twenty harmless chatterboxes over the headless ghost from the rumors.
Still, though, Heroneye wasn't ready to relax completely just yet. Minkpaw seemed... off. She looked gaunt and frail, and Heroneye couldn't make heads or tails of half of anything she was saying. Death did that to a cat, she supposed. And her general ghost-iness wasn't exactly helping the mood. Flickering in and out of existence and frightening injuries appearing on one's face was far from reassuring, after all. But she wasn't attacking them or showing any signs of hostility, so there was really no reason for any of them to do so.
Though the ghostly apprentice had more or less been written off as not a threat, she couldn't help but jump (just a hair!) as Minkpaw turned to her, expression suddenly somber. Oh, no, had Heroneye managed to offend the spirit already? That had to be some kind of a record. But Minkpaw seemed to be welcoming the patrol back into RiverClan territory, in her own strange, ghostly way. Although, well, her jumbled words could just as easily be interpreted as a dark omen, or a reflection of the past. Perhaps a bit of all?
But before Heroneye could even utter a word, Minkpaw's spirit dissipated just as quickly as it had arrived. The Lionheart turned her gaze over to her patrolmates, trying vainly to hide the bewilderment on her face.
"... I think we've seen enough. Let's head back." With that, Heroneye turned around and started towards the Twoleg den, casting glances over her shoulder to ensure that her patrolmates were still following. Now, how to explain this to Duskleaf..?
A small gasp escaped from Heroneye as the figure suddenly came into focus, revealing the spirit of the white-pelted apprentice. Was that... Minkpaw? Heroneye had never gotten the chance to interact with the apprentice before her death, but she could at least remember her face. Well, not exactly the horrific monstrosity she'd been expecting. Not that she was complaining, though; she'd take twenty harmless chatterboxes over the headless ghost from the rumors.
Still, though, Heroneye wasn't ready to relax completely just yet. Minkpaw seemed... off. She looked gaunt and frail, and Heroneye couldn't make heads or tails of half of anything she was saying. Death did that to a cat, she supposed. And her general ghost-iness wasn't exactly helping the mood. Flickering in and out of existence and frightening injuries appearing on one's face was far from reassuring, after all. But she wasn't attacking them or showing any signs of hostility, so there was really no reason for any of them to do so.
Though the ghostly apprentice had more or less been written off as not a threat, she couldn't help but jump (just a hair!) as Minkpaw turned to her, expression suddenly somber. Oh, no, had Heroneye managed to offend the spirit already? That had to be some kind of a record. But Minkpaw seemed to be welcoming the patrol back into RiverClan territory, in her own strange, ghostly way. Although, well, her jumbled words could just as easily be interpreted as a dark omen, or a reflection of the past. Perhaps a bit of all?
But before Heroneye could even utter a word, Minkpaw's spirit dissipated just as quickly as it had arrived. The Lionheart turned her gaze over to her patrolmates, trying vainly to hide the bewilderment on her face.
"... I think we've seen enough. Let's head back." With that, Heroneye turned around and started towards the Twoleg den, casting glances over her shoulder to ensure that her patrolmates were still following. Now, how to explain this to Duskleaf..?
Softpaw stared, green eyes wide in shock and fear. She bared her teeth, puffing out her white pelt as it neared her mentor, Softpaw kept her fur brushed out as her eyes were wide. "What... the hell..... or who the hell was that?!" Softpaw meowed, her tone now small and quiet like normal, though strange compared to her nervous and loud rantings a moment ago. Softpaw looked at her mentor, "That was... creepy...w-wait we can't just leave after that? We've gotta at least find something to tell Duskleaf! If we all go there now we'll be freshly terrified and all tell three different stories about 10 different cats." Softpaw meowed, her eyes wide, panic seeping into her gaze as she looked around. "What if it follows us? We can't haunt our own home!"
Sunsetgleam’s eyes widened as the spirit came into focus. The form looked..familiar. Almost as if they’ve seen this cat before. Mink…paw..? They’re having a hard time remembering but they were almost sure the spirit was Minkpaw. Right..so definitely NOT a threat to any of them. The reveal put them more at ease though nothing that she said made sense in their head. What did she mean when the sun’s fake? Well..of course the sun can’t hurt an already dead cat…that’s the only thing that made sense. A wish took her eyes, but she keeps half of them at all times. Huh. So..she lost..one of her eyes..? They haven’t seen her in ages. Did she have one eye or two back in life? Or did she lost it before dying? Or…well..she looks completely fine here but they assume that was a trend with dead cats.
They tilted their head, trying to make sense of her words. When Minkpaw repeats and asks if she already said those words, they were about to answer though their words never made it pass their mouth as they felt taken back at Minkpaw's sudden change in form. Where did the water come from? The scars? Her eye? Their eyes darkened at the implications they might have just gotten. Her eye was gone, was that what she meant when she said a wish took her eyes but she kept one...? And the water..and the wounds...they tried to gauge their mind for a bit though any specific details had already escaped their mind, especially since they hadn't interacted with Minkpaw much back when she was alive...or...dead..
...and now she's acting like that never happened...? Just like that? It might be easy for her to ignore it, but it was the opposite for Sunsetgleam. They can't ignore it. Their head tells them to continue thinking about it. Her words may hold more meaning than what they had thought at the start. They watched Minkpaw's blank stare at Heroneye. What..did she do..? For all they knew Heroneye wasn't causing any problems rigth now. Blue eyes. Yeah, Heroneye has blue eyes alright. The also had blue eyes, but frankly, they didn't want to be the center attention of Minkpaw's blank stare-at-the-soul. Like the night sky...earlier Minkpaw had said something about the moon. Is that related to one another?
Minkpaw continued to talk, welcoming them back to their home. Or her home..? It was both, technically. Minkpaw used to be in riverclan, so this was technically her home as well... I am still dead, and murder is not fine. Hold on for a second, murder..? Was Minkpaw's cause of death murder, or is that a warning that someone's going to get murdered...? Yea, murder is not fine of course but for Minkpaw to say specifically say something like that...now it felt that there was definitely a meaning behind almost everything she says.
They watched Minkpaw disappear, most likely going back to the starry realm. They turned their head at Heroneye, nodding to her words "we...probably should.." that was enough patrolling for today. They ears perked at Softpaw's question, the cat seemingly coated in fear and shock. Looked like that to them "That was..Minkpaw, I believe. She died..most likely before you were born. I don't think she's going to haunt us" they could be wrong, but it just feels weird to them if Minkpaw of all cats decides to stalk them back home. Even if she does she doesn't seem to mean any harm "let's try to make a cohesive story once we get back to Dusklead; but I believe it's time to go back soon"..met the ghost of Minkpaw then got told some pretty odd words that may hold some meaning...
heavily scarred & skinny black tom with white speckles; cloudy light amber eyes. walks with a prominent limp & has protruding fangs that overlap his bottom lip.
content + interaction warning : this character frequently explores themes of mental health, complex trauma, and abuse
└➤ ⌗ @twizzypaw @beau
| apologizes this took me a bit long! meant to get to it yesterday but something came up - -
wormbite's ears perked up at the sound of pawsteps approaching, head slowly turning to face towards foxleap. respectful gestures were lost on the blind tom, and the first thing the other said left him in an absolute state of confusion.. an honor. an honor?? this was not a social interaction he had ever really been prepared for. perhaps when meeting someone that would pop up as a general customary but there were no customaries when it came to patrols. not typically. a hello, or are you ready maybe but foxleap had gone off script.
the sin-eater seemed to sink in the ground almost, hunkering down slightly as if to make himself appear smaller. to escape being perceived. "tthannk youu? uuhm, feelingss.. mutual, " wormbite offered after a beat, still reeling slightly at the comment. likely off-handedly, he doubted foxleap had much thought but it had taken him off-guard.
his ear turned towards the sound of lionpaw's voice. he could almost chuckle at the notion of him being cool. alas, he had once tried to be - to become the dark lord. wormbite shakes his head back and forth - a no. he rose to his paws, tail swishing. "let uss head out ssince we are all here, " he hmm'ed, heading out of the entrance without another word.
the sleepy thicket was always the place he tended to avoid. he had too many friends, family lying there. he walked slowly, attempting to push the idea out of his mind. marigolds. moss. marigolds. moss. his jaws parted slightly, searching for differing scents. thankfully (ish), marigold always... had the strongest scent.
after a few moments of searching wormbite found a clump of marigolds that grew in the sun that had managed to peek through slightly. he picked up two of them, still searching for any herbs that caught his familiarity but truth of the matter he could barely smell marigold. he wasn't sure if they grew very well in these parts.
moss was a bit,, difficult. he could not scent for it, sleepy thicket always had the vague scent of woody-earth so he was left to feel around with it. black paws pushing forward, searching texture wise. attempting to brush against the bark, feeling for the softness of moss.
and then he did, coming to a halt. he unsheathed his right pair of claws and started to scrap it off from the bark, continuing until all of it was.
once wormbite could no longer carry anything more he started to search for his clanmates. "finisshed?" he called out, listening carefully.
[ 3+ moss, 2+ marigolds ]
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Re: Sleepy Thicket
(No problemo!! )
Foxleap grinned sheepishly, dipping his head to greet Lionpaw who had joined the pair before padding towards the entrance to follow Wormbite and Lionpaw towards Sleepy Thicket. Although he was a warrior and 20 moons old, he was eager to absorb as much knowledge and skills as he could from his more experienced denmate.
Emerging from the RiverClan camp, Foxleap's russet fur gleamed like embers in the dappled sunlight filtering through the tall pines. The long, thick hairs of his red fox-patterned coat swayed gently with each purposeful stride, and his vibrant, tawny tail flicked with anticipation as his piercing honey eyes scanned the horizon with a keen focus, his maw pointed up to catch a whiff of moss or marigold. As he trailed behind his patrol towards the Sleepy Thicket, the quiet serenity of the forest unfolded before them—tall, ancient trees stood like silent sentinels, their branches whispering secrets in the breeze. The undergrowth was lush and verdant, the soft crunch of fallen leaves beneath their paws breathing life into the silent environment. Foxleap diverged from his group to trail the pungent scent of marigold near a patch of brambles that were growing near the outer trees of Sleepy Thicket. Catching sight of the bright golden flowers, Foxleap gently ripped them out from the earth and set them aside to collect later. So far so good, much more successful than the earlier hunting trip for borage.
The young tom darted over to a patch of boulders and rocks that were generously shaded from the sun. Sniffing and climbing over the large rocks, Foxleap found a bed of moss and purred with delight at his successful discovery. As he collected the moss between his teeth delicately, Foxleap's ears perked up at the sound of Wormbite and he quickly climbed down from the rock formation to collect the marigold he had found and stored away.
"Yep, Starclan has truly blessed us with a bountiful harvest!" Foxleap yowled through the foliage in his mouth from a distance as he dashed towards Wormbite, his bright eyes beaming with excitement as he dropped his findings in front of his paws before glancing back up and surveying their surroundings, "Hope Lionpaw is close by, wouldn't wanna stick around for a ghost to pop up!" He exclaimed in a cautious tone, yet the expression plastered over his muzzle betraying his words almost as if he was hoping to spot a ghost.
Lionpaw took in the area with wide eyes. It was perhaps a little eerie, but that was easily overshadowed in the apprentice’s mind by the excitement of seeing somewhere new. She didn’t really know what any herbs looked like, so she opted to look for moss - her moons of playing mossball had given her a comprehensive knowledge of the plant.
After gathering a hefty amount she joined back with the, having fallen behind a bit, and caught the tail-end of Foxleap’s sentence. “Ghosts?? Cool! Anyways, I dunno what marigold is so I just got a bunch of moss.” She made a mental note to ask Fadingstar or maybe her mentor later about ghosts in the forest.
Re: Sleepy Thicket
Re: Sleepy Thicket
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