Darkfall was by no means a good dad. Or, if you asked him, that’s what he would say. He didn’t want to make excuses, but he was able to see where his short comings lied. His children didn’t like him all that much and hardly talked to him, and then he was so busy trying to play catch up from when he hit his head and temporarily lost his memories and the addition of his newest sons and daughters, that he was neglecting those of his first litter. Searching for Fallenkit had also proven to be time consuming, but that wasn’t a valid reason to not pay attention to his other children whether they liked it or not. He hadn’t grown up with a father or strong tom figure in his life and he was still trying to figure things out.
It was hard. Oh Stars it was hard. Having kits thrown onto you and suddenly put in charge of raising some young ones was not quite what he had been expecting on that outing for a patrol. It was okay though, now that he had his thoughts together, he was going to try and sneak some more time away to focus on the eldest four of his many children.
Speaking of… there was Larkkit right there. He still couldn’t for the life of him figure out why Heron had named her as such, but she did. She looked… sad. He didin’t know how to deal with sad cats, much less sad children. That was a skill he had never managed to be able to pick up during his almost 24 moon existence. Taking a deep breath, he made the decision to make the first move. He couldn't just leave her there all sad and alone out in the cold! It was his duty to do something. As a father, and as an enforcer. Right now instead of enforcing rules – he’d be enforcing happiness.
Feet crunching the powdery snow as he walked, the large tom sat next to his daughter, offering his not-so-fluffy tail to try and warm her up. His normally short coat filled out a considerable bit with the change of seasons, probably thanks to his father’s thick coat, but he wasn’t sure if it’d offer enough warmth for the young she-cat. ”Hey there Larkkit… Why are you so down in the dumps?” He asked cautiously, a half smile on his lips as he peered down at her. Ugh that was a total fail, but he didn’t know what else to say! Why was this so hard??
[ @/vellichor ]
•° Larkkit °• Shadow Fiend • Mind Reader
The young cat was lost in her own world, thinking of her mother until she heard the soft crunch of snow coming closer. She was being approached. With a vigorous shake of her head, she looked up to see none other than Darkfall, flicking out his tail and sitting down next to her. Confusion was evident on the kit's face as she tried to figure out what to do. On one paw, she still didn't like him very much. And he hadn't even come to check up on her before now, eaither. But on the other paw, she hadn't tried to seek him out, either. And word got around as to how he saved Fallen. Or, Fallenkit. Hesitantly, with a conflicted expression, Larkkit ultimately accepted the offer, tucking herself against the other cat's fluffy tail.
As she was warming up, debating on what to say, trying to do anything, she heard the rumbling voice above her speak. Another conflicted expression, another choice. It was in her nature to back off, hiss "None of your business!", refuse any helping paw. And if Darkfall hadn't saved her littermate, she probably would've done the same. But somehow, that act had gained just a bit of the stubborn kit's trust. And so, she cautiously decided to open up and be vulnerable. "I..." Oh, it was so hard to say. She didn't like saying out out loud. "I m- I miss mom." And there it was, it seemed the floodgates had broken open.
"Why did she abandon us?" The black-and-white kit looked, up, icy eyes full of tears. "What did we do wrong? What-- What did I do wrong?" The last words were spoken so softly, she was almost convinced they didn't exist. Then, an ugly sob escaped her and she moved from Darkfall's tail to his side, smushing her face into his fur. It wasn't fair, why why why?
// @/DarL \\
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there's courage in being terrified, but still going forward.
Deep down Darkfall knew what was bothering his daughter, however, with the tough facade she showed everyone it was difficult to discern just how much Heron’s absence bothered her. He let her cry, Stars above, she seemed like she needed it. Their mother had been taken from them at an earlier age then he’d lost his own — voluntarily at that, so he could only imagine that pain she felt.
”Nothing,” He said at last, leaning down in an attempt to lick his second daughter’s head ”You've done nothing wrong, my love.” Both she and her other litter mates were entirely innocent on the issue, it had simply been their mother’s own weakness that put them in their current position. He couldn’t just say that though! He didn’t want to openly badmouth their mother when he knew it was Heron’s choice to give them up. ”Blame me, Little Lark. Your mother wasn’t in a position to be a proper mother to you all and couldn’t do it all by herself.” Of course, he had no way of knowing that the grey and white tabby had gone back to live with her adopted father to get help. ”She wanted to give you little ones a better life. She wanted to make sure your bellies were fed and that you had a warm place to sleep. She wanted to make sure you were safe,” He told her softly, hoping to ease some of her worries.
”I promise your mother loved you very much and she just wanted the best for you, you’ve done nothing wrong.” He doubted that she would believe him, but he wanted to at least attempt to explain the situation, but he didn’t know if she’d understand. Attempting to bring her closer to him, he let a small purr rumble from deep within his chest. ”Larkkit, I know I’m probably not what you expected, and I’ve been very busy as of late, but I love you. I’m going to do my best to make you, Fallenkit, and Sootkit happy. And just like I brought Fallenkit back, I’ll try my best to find Moo-Wolfkit as well.”
”I told you this before, I didn’t have a father for most of my life, and my mother died when I was young so I might not be great at this. But my little lark, I’m going to try my best to be a good father too you and be more involved. If there’s anything you ever need from me, I’ll do my best to do it for you. If you ever want anything, I’ll get it for you. If anyone is ever bothering you, let me know and your big strong dad will handle them for you,” He added that last part with a wink.
Taking a deep breath he sighed, ”I’m sorry,” he said, voice hardly above a whisper. It was his fault, all of it, but he didn’t know how to explain that to her. He should’ve approached the not-quite young kit a lot sooner than he had. Clearly this had been bothering her for a while.
When Bubblebunny didn't bother reply, Lostspark's mood seemed to sour even further. So much for trying to get herself and her Clanmates in shape. She supposed they were lazy enough to not want to even practice spar. Or something like that. Could she really give them the benefit of doubt when they so clearly were not actively participating?
Scowling like a moody teenager (what, her? never! ..kinda) at Bubblebunny, Lostspark only tore her attention from the ShadowClan warrior when a particularly loud (and irritating, let's not forget irritating) voice had her swiveling around to face in that direction almost on habit. Because, well, she'd constantly been turning towards voices since she'd gone blind, at the very least to make her patients feel like she was listening to them. Now, though, Lostspark turned the full force of her unhappy mood on Shadefrost, frustration sparking in her blood.
"I'm doing perfectly okay, thank you for asking Shadefrost." Lostspark drawled sarcastically. "And for your information, I am neither an idiot nor forgetful." She deadpanned. "I asked for a mock spar. You know, without the claws and teeth you mentioned? I'm not a simpleton, I have no intention of wasting ShadowClan's herbs." Unintentionally, her gaze flitted over the warrior, a Medicine Cat's critical eyes assessing for wounds. Huh. So Shadefrost actually had not gotten hurt over the last few moons, which explained his lack of visitations. Which... why the hell did she care? As far as Lostspark was concerned, the dark-furred warrior was a pain in the tail. Or so she attempted to convince herself. "Not dead yet, I see." Was all that got past Lostspark's lips eventually. "Your starry ancestors aren't having any mercy on me in this regard, then."
SHADEFROST
(SHADOWCLAN'S STRONGEST)
AGATHA KITTY | ACTIVE, BEEFED UP (T3) | ACTIVE, MIND READER | ACTIVE, SILVER TONGUE | ACTIVE
And, now she was whining. Perfect. Even with her sight gone, it seemed as if Larkfire was still the same ol' "Burr" that Shade remembered. Silently, the tomcat watched as the molly rambled on about her lack of idiocy, his tail resting over his paws as he did so. It wasn't until the last bit that the warrior gave a short laugh. And no, it wasn't one of those snotty, stuck up, barks he usually makes either. This one was a genuine, relaxed, somewhat high pitched sound, where the smile reached his eyes momentarily and he didn't look like he hated everyone and thing in the forest.
"Yeah," he replied plainly, "with the way I've turned out I highly doubt any of my ancestors are in starclan." Then in a jokingly-sarcastic tone he added, "But, seeing as how no one else has noticed that I can still breathe, I should give you an award for being the world's greatest blind detective, right?" The tom gave another laugh, or chuckle if we're being specific. Raising his paw to his maw, Shadefrost rasped a rough tounge over it and began to groom the fur on his head and ears.
By the time he was finished, the other molly that'd caught the medicine cat's attention for training, had responded. "Let me guess, you're trying to learn blind fighting?" He asked quizzically, confident that he already knew the answer. Personally, Shadefrost wasn't the type to use a well defined fighting style in battle, he relied heavily on instinct and experience to guide him. But, having something to fall back on, especially when the outcome of such brawls was so uncertain could be useful. "I think I'll watch this one. It's been very boring as of late andI could probably learn a thing or twofrom watching you too."
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“Maybe I Should Just Kill All The Higher-Ups.” - Satoru Gojo
My Cats:
Shadefrost
SilverLightning
Sigpic Art by Rose Pfp from Demon Slayer
Last edited by Levi 99; January 30th, 2024 at 02:13 AM.
Lynxshade rose to her paws as soon as she heard her name being called by a familiar voice. Hawkbite. What could he possibly want from me now? But she wasn't frustrated. She hadn't seen the Enforcer in a long time since the experience at the river, and he hadn't taken part in her swimming lessons either. These Shadowclanners really don't like water, huh.
She shook moss from her pelt before heading toward the entrance, then caught sight of him waiting for her just outside. "Good morning, Hawkbite." She dipped her head quickly as according to the good manners, then smiled at him. She licked her paw and brushed her against her eyes, to clear the last signs of sleepiness from her face. Then sat down and waited patiently for her friend to speak.
[Hawkbite]
Enforcer Commander
Shadow Fiend | Just a Scratch | Agatha Kitty
She wasted no time rising and making her way over. That was good. He liked warriors who didn't complain or act annoyed when given orders Shadefrost. He also appreciated the respect she gave despite the relationship they happened to be creating without trying. Perhaps it didn't start off amazing, but she was one of the few warriors that caught his eye when he'd watch the clan attend their duties.
"We're going to make a quick trip to the RiverClan border. Make sure everyone's been behaving over there," Hawkbite was quick to the point. His gaze didn't hold the same friendly or concerned look it did when they were besides the river. The tabby had a bad habit of falsifying this personality in front of his clanmates, tending to show off who he was once he was alone with cats.
"No questions? Then we'll head out, yeah?" Hawkbite spoke plainly, gesturing for the she-cat to follow as he turned towards the camp entrance. He chose a rather steady pace, not wanting to rush this little walk he invited her on.
@Wingnettle -- not sure what happened, but the quote didn't work so it never gave you a notif!
Shadow Fiend: Active | Beefed Up (T3) | Ultimate Predator: Inactive
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Shadefrost.
Darkfall really did not like the older tom. He put up with his antics because he was a half decent warrior, but he was done. Done with the shenanigans, done with the insults, done with the attitude, he was done
The huge tom had been attempting to mind his own business. What Larkfire did was her business, and she could see now so it wasn’t like he had to butt in on everything — she needed to train too (though he wished she asked him). Of course, Shadefrost just had to ruin that. Why couldn’t he just keep his damned mouth shut for two seconds and use his brain?
Silently slipping into the shadows, the large tabby stalked forwards until he reapered behind the other tom. ”Shadefrost,” he said in a icy tone ”Shut your damn trap.” He then fixed his gaze briefly on Bubblebunny before turning to his mate. ”Im coming along.” He said, nodding to her stiffly. He wanted to make sure Shadefrost didn’t do anything stupid, and it would also be a good idea for him to make sure Larkfire didn’t do anything stupid. Gosh, why did both of them have a habit of that?
purrks ; mind reader [ perm. active ]
he/it . sc . 25 moons . tags ; @/anyone ! open /gen
!! this cat deals with themes of parental abuse, hallucinations, and mental disorders. iwc. !!
trigger warnings for this post: none
hickorysplinter's tail lashed with anger. he wasn't angry at anyone in particular, but angry instead at the cold. but having to do clan duties was a whole thing, so he surveyed the clearing and then called out. ' if any cats wanna come on a hunting patrol with me, uhh- gather.. here, i guess. ' he faltered, embarrassed.
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' the devil has won, it can't be undone
the book has all but closed on your life '
It was a rare moment where NightWolf laid in the clearing, he was relaxing for once, but soon enough he'll be back out there to continue hunting, but he may forgo that today, he wants to spar.
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"UNTIL I THREW DOWN MY ENEMY AND SMOTE HIS RUIN UPON THE MOUNTAINSIDE -GANDALF THE WHITE
NIGHTWOLF SHADOWCLAN
24 MOONS
LARGE BLACK TABBY
Re: ShadowClan Clearing
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