Mudhound
Thunderclan Warrior | They/them | 31 Moons
Bilingual T2 | Flock Together T3 | Rapid Recovery
The large warriors ear had been caught by the arguing of Sunpaw and her new mentor, Shadowshine. Who frankly kinda didnt seem nice! Like Sunpaw was rude but angry was understandable if you had a lotta mentors who just abandoned you! And Shadowshine just turned mean after that, like too mean.....
Mudhound would offer some lessons later to the apprentice, but for now they were finishing dusting off the den. It still didnt feel done though! Snagging a leafy pine branch the warrior wrestled it into place arching over the entrance as a sort of decorative curtain and bringing a nice pine scent to the den. Now it felt done.
With the decorating done and the reassignments complete the tripods attention was caught again.
Not a lotta stuff was new there, Tawnykit and Heronsnarl but Silentpaw was new. So many deaths and all accidents, all too soon, all tragic. Folded ears drooped again at remembered and new sorrow but it was less heavy now. Even if Bumblestar was going so far because Mudhound asked, she did and Drizzleclouds kind words soothed aching hearts. Heronsnarl would be remembered, at least in some way, and in starclan if she could hear them she'd know she wasnt just disregarded and left to rot. Mudhound had tried, maybe others would too, and even if she wasnt buried with the clan Heronsnarl was honored.
Even if they didnt get why Tawnykit and Silentpaw werent included.
Even through the sad glimmer in their eyes Mudhound smiled at Drizzlecloud, thankful and tipped their head to the sky.
"You know me," Wolfpaw reached to bop at Spiderthroat's face. "Always here to piss you off." He was cozy on the Spidertrain, but alas Bumba was in no mood for cuddletime. Dejected, he slid off the dadputy and watched the remainder of the meeting in silence. [ @Starfall ]
It bothered him.
Wolfpaw would not show it, but it bothered him that of all the cats who've died, of the kits and apprentices who didn't have a chance at life, it was a warrior who largely did nothing who got the memorial service. All she did of note was fall in a hole and die. It made him wonder what sort of connection she had to Drizzlecloud and Mudhound, if they consorted out of sight, because it just... seemed random and tone-deaf.
He didn't think he'd ever "get it", and he wasn't sure he wanted to. He dropped his gaze from the Stormcrest to find interest in a clump of snow. He batted it around between his paws, mostly fidgeting at this point.
°•. info & relations ✿ finder coming soon ✿ challenge mode! [skill-perk free] .•°
Beachkit -
!!!???!!!!! !??!!?!
TAWNYKIT DIED? TAWNYKIT WAS DEAD?
Beachkit sunk down into themselves, distraught. The snake attack was terrible but they didn't know Tawnykit would DIE from it, but it explained why all the warriors came in and acted all funny, and . ..
A harrowing realization rattled them. They SAW Tawnykit die. Not at first, not from the bite itself, but then after that.
Their first brush with death left them deaf to the ongoing meeting as they cautiously explored memories from the incident. Revisiting them felt taboo now that confirmation arrived of Tawnykit's demise, right in front of them too - they didn't know how to get past that, and it didn't even consider how close they themselves had also come to being a potential victim if Wolfpaw hadn't intervened.
The medicine cats were supposed to fix it. Why didn't they?
Thoughts of mortality chased away kittish daydreams as they stared blankly at the crowd, stones in their belly.
Ghostglow held her head low as Bumblestar announced the news of all the clanmates that had fallen this moon. Tawnykit was so, so young. How had a snake gotten past the queens? Past the other warriors? Stars, how had it gotten past her? Her stomach churned at the thought. Not too many moons ago her own children had been in that den. What if...? No. There was no sense in thinking such gruesome thoughts. Not when Tawnykit deserved a proper send off. Rest well little one.
At the news of Silentpaw's death, Ghostglow couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. Once again she thought of her own children. Had they grown close? Did they know Silentpaw well? Hopefully not well enough to follow in her pawsteps. Still, the apprentice received a prayer of good rest as well. It's the least a poor soul like her deserved.
Bumblestar had just began speaking about yet another death - this time Heronsnarl - when yellow eyes caught a fellow warrior snarling then aiming a cuff at their apprentice. Surely I saw that wrong!!! The spotted molly blinked once, twice, three times as Drizzlecloud spoke. Her eyes never left Shadowshine and Sunpaw. Her ears were angled towards the two, picking up every other word... but the message was clear. Later she would make it up to Heronsnarl by visiting her grave, a small apology for not paying attention during her ceremony. But this needed to be dealt with.
"Excuse me!" She approached Shadowshine and Sunpaw with a smile once Drizzlecloud was done speaking. Her voice was kept low as not to disturb the gathering, even if she wanted to scream. "What part of your brain decided it was ok to do and say those things to young Sunpaw? I fear it's a bit... out of order." No rational warrior would react in such an unbecoming way. Not while Ghostglow was still breathing. Moving to stand in between mentor and apprentice, Ghostglow then offered Sunpaw a gentle smile. "Let us talk to Bumblestar once this meeting is over alright?"
Oh. So Foxpaw couldn't speak? That was alright! It didn't bother Redhawk in the slightest and she grinned at Foxpaw's signed reply. "It'll be l-lots of fun," she nodded, keeping a note to learn some paw gestures later. Foxpaw may not be deaf it seemed, but the warrior wanted to make an effort to communicate with her in whatever way she preferred.
As the meeting continued and the mention of what had occurred in the nursery was brought up, Redhawk flattened her ears. So Tawnykit had passed away... She let her disheartened green gaze fall briefly, taking a deep breath to steady the ache and unsteadiness she felt in her heart. Too young... why had a snake bite done that? As far as she could recall they had never inflicted fatal damage in the past... at least the rest of the camp had been patched up. Foxpaw jumping behind her was a shock, and immediately Red fluffed out her tail and went to wrap it around where they were behind her as a sign of comfort.
Silentpaw's death was not news, and despite the uncomfortable feeling that settled in the pit of her stomach at the mention of the, ahem, cause... Red did her best to shrug it away. It was for the greater good. A tough decision that had to be made. Yeah... yeah. She just wouldn't linger on it much. Heronsnarl was new, and her gaze lifted back up in surprise. She'd fallen into the sinkhole? Truly devastating. Drizzleclouds words were a comfort, but the fact that only the warrior was spoken of, and not the kit or apprentice (as disrespectful and unruly as it appeared she had been), made Red slightly frustrated.
...That frustration became amplified when a voice lifted towards her ears, and her head shot over to where Sunpaw and Shadowshine were. Memories of her apprenticeship and all of the trials and tribulations... of watching the 'paws of the Clan be treated less than dirt. She waited until a moment or two passed before looking to Foxpaw with a soft gaze. "Stay here," she told her apprentice, still unsure if she should get involved.
It was that thought that made it easy for her to decide. That thought of "someone else will handle it" was exactly what had caused the warrior's of ThunderClan to fail not only her, but several other apprentices. She couldn't recall how many mentor's she'd had, how often she'd had to ask for training when she hadn't wanted to. No. This would not continue.
Another warrior had interfered, but Red was already moving. Her paws, starting to shake a little, were already planted just beside the trio. She had been seated close enough to the interaction that she didn't have to travel far. "D-Don't you dare bare y-your fangs o-or swat your a-apprentice again!" she barked in what she hoped was an intimidating voice (that did happen to shake a little). Whatever punishment she was trying to lay out was absurd, and it had Redhawk's eyes narrowing. Though her legs visibly shook and it was clear she was nervous, she continued. "As f-far as I can tell, you h-have done nothing to earn SS-Sunpaw's respect. F-Furthermore-" her heart was hammering in her chest but by the stars it was too late to back down now "-If t-that's your approach to mentoring, t-then I sss-suggest you find a q-quiet corner of the warrior's d-den to crawl into and l-let those who a-actually care about t-the youth of ThunderClan t-to take over."
There. She'd done it. She was shaking, visibly upset as the memories from the past generation flooded her, but she'd done it. No tears this time, which Red would later count as a win. She hadn't raised her voice, she hadn't snarled or said mean words. But the reddish-brown warrior would be damned if she let another warrior talk like that to any apprentice, let alone one they had just been entrusted to train.
( Throwing Drizzle in here because he's gotta back up his day one )
The meeting began with the usual formalities. First was apprentice reassignments. Drizzlenight's ears perked as he was the first to be given an apprentice; a cat by the name of Coyotepaw. Nobody he knew, but hopefully they'd be committed to their training. The dark tom glanced around, wondering where the 'paw was. He didn't care much for the "touching noses" formality; if Coyotepaw wanted to come find him during the meeting, that was fine. Otherwise, he'd find the apprentice after.
Death announcements came after. Three cats had died- one of them a kit. They'd died by snake bite; perhaps the bleeding had been too much for the little one. Drizzlenight felt a pang of sympathy; kits never deserved a cruel end to their lives. As for Heronsnarl, in his mind she knew the risks she was taking when she went to the ruins. Tragic, but not something worth getting his heart twisted over.
As for Silentpaw, that sounded like typical apprentice naivety. A waste.
Before the meeting continued, his attention was grabbed by an altercation between one of the new mentor-apprentice pairs- Shadowshine and Sunpaw. Drizzlenight didn't catch the whole conversation, but from the looks on both of their faces some sort of disagreement was happening.
All of a sudden, Shadowshine lashed out at the 'paw, cuffing their ear. Drizzlenight stiffened; what had happened in that short amount of time to warrant such an action? He wasn't particularly used to seeing ThunderClan mentors be unnecessarily harsh with their apprentices.
He rose to his paws as soon as he saw Ghostglow get into the tangle. If his friend was backing Sunpaw up, of course Drizzlenight would be there. There were a lot of things the pair agreed on, with protecting ThunderClan at whatever cost being one of those things. Redhawk quickly stepped forward to defend the apprentice as well.
Drizzlenight didn't say anything as he approached, merely stood beside Ghostglow and set his icy eyes upon Shadowshine. If this warrior decided they wanted to escalate things, he was ready to make them sorry. Until then, however, he simply stood, quiet and focused.
__________________
Fadingstar is currently RiverClan's leader. He has an open den policy; his den can be found here. If you have any questions or concerns about RiverClan, or any plots to propose, feel free to leave me a VM or DM! Please do not take my characters' IC opinions as reflective of my own.
Featherpaw shivered at the thought of a body stuck down in the sinkhole. To die on your own territory just by falling... Redhawk hadn't been kidding about the danger when she'd taken them all on that tour. And the poor kit, killed in the nursery of all places! It was supposed to be safe there, with nothing to worry about... She hoped it didn't make the other kits feel too unsafe. Bumblestar herself had reinforced the dens, so hopefully that would be enough to help them feel calmer if they worried...
They pinned their ears back at the commotion between Sunpaw and Shadowshine. Sunpaw was still pretty young, and this cat had just been assigned to her and was already trying to cuff her over the ears and assigning her to the elders den! Like it was a surprise an apprentice had a little attitude... Would they speak to another warrior that way for being a little rude? They were glad they'd ended up with Fernwillow as a mentor instead of this cat - she would never hurt them or punish them needlessly.
Last edited by lesbianism; January 13th, 2024 at 10:07 AM.
Mirepaw's ears flicked, hearing his name. He gazed up at his new mentor. She's huge! "U-um, hi, I'm Mirepaw..." The other news went in one ear and out the other, and Mirepaw was just staring up at Skunk...stripe? @Tiabirb
Skunkstrike-36 moons-She/Her Purrk(s): Beefed Up
"Hello, Mirepaw!" Skunkstrike purred warmly, though she could kinda pick up on the apprentice's nervous energy. So instead, she toned down her own excitement and crouched to make herself seem smaller to him.
"Would you like to go learn a cool battle trick?" She asked, then she leaned in and whispurred mischievously, "It's also a fun prank to play on your denmates~"
*-Sunpaw-*
14/100
she/her || 8moons || no purrks ginger molly with a rosette pattern and green eyes
Oh, this was not happening. As soon as Shadowshine opened her mouth and began speaking, Sunpaw narrowed her eyes. She'd thought, briefly, that the black and white warrior would let it go, that she'd acknowledge that Sunpaw was already fed up enough with the fact that she's already gone through three mentors and didn't want to deal with another one that would refuse to train her. Apparently she was wrong. Because Shadowshine began spitting nothing but hostile words and filth at her, demanding respect instead of doing a single thing to earn it. And then she was cuffed over the head. And Sunpaw was livid.
"Don' you dare lay a paw on me again!" She hisses, openly hostile, claws unsheathed. "You demand respect and I haven' seen you do a single thin' to so much as earn even a shred of respect from me!" Her voice is raised, and now there's three other warriors standing between the new mentor and apprentice. It was only slightly vindicating to have a bunch of warriors she didn't really know come up and defend her.
"You are not to speak to me 'nless I speak to you first, got it?" She hisses from behind Ghostglow's back, voice cold, "If I so much as see yer face lookin' in my direction, yer gonna wish you didn't have eyes to look in the firs' place." With a final hiss, she glances warily at the three warriors around her, thankful that they stood up for her, but untrusting of their motives anyway, and stalked away to the other side of the Stormcrest, as far as possible as she could get from her 'new mentor.'
Re: ThunderClan Stormcrest
