Something Broken [p]

[Mica]

Eaglepaw
RiverClan
she/her | 7 moons | 19/100
[Golden and white tuxedo tabby with green eyes]
Purrks: Dreamwalker, HK T2
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[Dusklion - @taillow ]
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Eaglepaw had finally gotten over her fear of Dusklion, and asked her to take the apprentice to the Smallpines border. Eaglepaw needed to complete her territory tour, and while the apprentice didn't trust any ThunderClanner as far as she could throw them, she couldn't put it off anymore. Fadingsun was busy, and Eaglepaw needed to mend a fractured relationship quickly.

She also needed to keep an eye on the Head Lionheart. She had seen how quickly her loyalties could fluctuate if she determined someone wasn't giving her what she wanted, and Eaglepaw had no intention of letting that happen to her. She had to remain useful. Had to remain liked. That way, she wouldn't be cast out. It was clear how this clan worked, and even with her mentor's best efforts, she was doubtful it would ever change. But that was fine, she could play the game.

For the small amount of time Eaglepaw spent with her adopted father, she certainly thought a lot like him.

The golden tabby trotted along the border, peering into the thick forest on the other side and noting the budding bushes that lined the border. "No wonder ThunderClan is so braindead." She muttered, mostly to herself. "I bet they hit their heads on the trees for training." Then, she scoffed, voice wry. "What's RiverClan's excuse?"

[taillow]

Dusklion - RiverClan Head Lionheart
She/her | 27 moons | Go with the Flow, Beefed Up T3, Rapid Recovery, Shadow Fiend

Something felt... off. Well, it had ever since the meeting. Dusklion was still trying to figure out her place in the Clan, where she fit in, and why it seemed like she was more of an outsider now than before she had joined RiverClan. Birdsnow's words... they had hurt. It was almost like the leader hadn't acknowledge her own hypocrisy. First she had appointed Fades, then she had told Dusk that she hadn't done anything wrong during their failed trip to the Starcave, and that she wanted her help in leading the Clan. And then... she had been left on her own to try and watch over a Clan that, frankly, she felt would rather see her exiled. Harsh thoughts, sure, but lately no one outside of Mists and Cobs, and perhaps Seabreeze had made her think differently. Even Fades... well, that was another story altogether.

It's not like it mattered anyways. Dusklion would just ignore the guilt she felt at her words - both towards her former leader and brother - like it wasn't there and instead try and distract herself with tasks like taking Wings out to finish up his territory tour. Part of her felt a bit wary, mainly because she was Fades' apprentice and she still wasn't sure where they stood. Nonetheless she trotted along the border with her blue eyes searching the woods of ThunderClan, making sure there was no sign of any threats.

A snorted laugh came from Dusk at the quip. "ThunderClan's always been more squirrel than cat," the dark tabby agreed with a roll of her blue eyes. The next part was unexpected and made the head Lionheart bristle slightly before she forced her fur to relax - because Wings was right. "We used to be... glorious." There was disappointment dripping from her words as sorrow clouded her gaze. "We've had leader after leader try 'n raise our Clan back up, 'n all of 'em have failed. It's... I get your disappointment." A glance towards Wings. "You ever hear stories about a cat named Lionstorm?" Perhaps some uplifting tales of the Clan's golden era would help inspire the young apprentice, just as it had her.

[ Eaglepaw - @Mica ]

[Mica]

Eaglepaw
RiverClan
she/her | 7 moons | 24/100
[Golden and white tuxedo tabby with green eyes]
Purrks: Dreamwalker, HK T2
· · ────────────── · ·
[Dusklion - @taillow ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Dusklion's disappointment in the clan had Eaglepaw softening a little, closing her eyes and sighing. All she wanted was a stable home. Ever since she had been brought to this wretched place by that dumb eagle, and taken in by Rushwater... she had never had any stability. Any friend she made disappeared, any family she had abandoned her, and the only place she could live in was a constant reminder of how horrible cats were. Eaglepaw would have left long ago to become a loner, maybe find a group of rogues to live with, if she hadn't been so ill-trained and unprepared. So, she was stuck.

Dusklion's mention of this "Lionstorm" had her perking up a bit, glancing up at the Head Lionheart. "No, but I'll take a wild guess an' say the Lionhearts are named after 'im?" She tried, curiosity overcoming her frustration. One of the best ways to get Eaglepaw to calm down was to tell her a story. Fadingsun had learned that during training, and Tansypaw had learned that while chatting in the medicine den. Eaglepaw loved stories--loved histories, morals, warnings passed down from generation to generation.

As Dusklion began her story, Eaglepaw continued to pad along the border, long grasses and tall reeds brushing her fluffy golden pelt. The sound of a stream trickled nearby, and that soothed her further. She nodded when appropriate to show Dusklion she was listening, even as she poked her head into a group of reeds and giggled as their long stalks tickled her cheeks. Dragging her face out, Eaglepaw glanced over her shoulder to watch Dusklion as she continued her story. Her face furs were all puffed up due to the ferns, so she sat down to swipe a paw over her face.

As she smoothed her fur down, a glint caught Eaglepaw's eye. She paused, setting her paw down and dipping her head to get a better look. Huh. It was hard to see, but it seemed that partially buried in the ground was a piece of.... shiny rock? Eaglepaw had never seen a shiny rock like that before. Dusklion's story still in the back of her mind, Eaglepaw began digging. Her white paws were quickly stained with grass, clumps of dirt stuck in her feet furs. She wanted the shiny thing! Maybe she could bring it back and gift it to Mossypaw, to show him that she still thought about him.

But as she continued digging, the shape of what she had previously thought to be a stone revealed itself to her. Several thin, small triangles linked together in a circle. Eaglepaw's breath hitched, and before she knew it she was digging faster, breaths sawing out of her as recognition struck. This was Rushwater's collar. The thing the twolegs had put on him before he returned. Giving up on her paws, Eaglepaw lunged down and took the chain in her mouth, the metallic scent--so similar to blood--flooding her mouth, cold stinging her tongue as she ripped the chain out of the ground.

The apprentice went tumbling, the chain dropping from her mouth in a chorus of clinks. Scrambling to her paws, Eaglepaw stared with wide, blank eyes at the chain. It had been snapped, one of the links tumbling loose from the movement. It was rusted over in places, and something that looked horribly like blood coated other links. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move as she stared at the chain. How... how had he gotten it off? Had he snapped it and run? Had someone else broken it? Had someone hurt him? Eaglepaw whirled to Dusklion, her voice shaking. "It's Rushwater's." She whispered.

[taillow]

DUSKLION
she/her | riverclan's head lionheart | 27 moons | active purrks

Once it was clear that this was a story of interest to Wings, Dusklion immediately perked up. Whenever she got to recount the tales told to her over and over (much to his displeasure) by the brown-furred warrior who'd helped her with her training long ago - Otter... something - the dark tabby became ecstatic. "They are! He was... ferocious. A formidable cat 'n even better leader. He brought around a lot of the changes you see in the Clan today. Events, a sense of community. He raised us up 'n made us feared 'n respected throughout the forest! A big fan of dramatics, from what I've heard, but all great leaders are in my opinion. He had this flare about him, 'n always drove RiverClan to great success."

Pondering back on the stories she'd been told, Dusk settled on one that seemed inspiring. "Seasons ago, when WindClan was havin' trouble with some mangy coyotes on their territory. Real nasty mutts - bigger than you 'n me combined, 'n have a way with their snarly teeth. Dark, beady eyes too. Can stare straight into your soul." As if to emphasize this Dusk widened her own blue eyes as she stared at Wings, then grinned as she looked forward to continue the story. "He led us valiantly into battle; took those who stood for RiverClan 'n led them right to WindClan's camp! Rippin' 'n tearin' his way through, we managed to successfully help those moor runners drive the beasts back - Lions even manage to bring one of the mutts back to camp for the prey pile!" Stars, that would've been a sight to see. Dusk was full on grinning now, tail lashing excitedly behind her. "Some even say he kept the coyotes skull in his den!" This part was said more as an excited whisper, Dusk glancing this way and that as if it was a secret shared between her and Wings.

As her story started to wind down and Wings took a seat, Dusklion racked her brain for any other stories she could tell. There was the battle one, and some gathering stories perhaps, and - was Wings digging? Curiously the head Lionheart padded closer to observe. "Whatdya find, Wings?" she asked, peering at the dirt. There was something shiny. Suddenly though Wings seemed to recognize this and tugged the rest of it out of the ground. "Woah there, kid, easy-" she started to say, but was cut off as she caught the faintest trace of familiar scent.

Rushwater.

Immediately Dusk's head whipped up and she glanced around for any threats. Clearly something had gotten to the warrior if it had been able to rip this off. Once she was sure there was no threat in the area the head Lionheart immediately flanked Wings, trying her best to comfort the young cat. "His scents still there. Faint, but there. I don't... see anythin'..." Brushing her tail across Wings' back the head Lionheart started to inspect the area further, trying to find any clues. Some signs of a struggle, but there wasn't a lot to go off of. "How long has it been since he's been gone??" She hadn't really interacted with the tom and she normally didn't keep track of warrior's disappearing more than she did with the younger 'paws and kits...

[ Eaglepaw - @Mica ]

[Mica]

Eaglepaw
RiverClan
she/her | 7 moons | 24/100
[Golden and white tuxedo tabby with green eyes]
Purrks: Dreamwalker, HK T2
· · ────────────── · ·
[Dusklion - @taillow ]
· · ────────────── · ·
How long? How long, how long how long....

Eaglepaw couldn't think, only stare at the chain at her paws. She scanned the area, face blank as she slowly processed the information. How long?

Eaglepaw glanced up at Dusklion, her normally bright green eyes veiled behind shock and worry. "Last... Last time I saw him was the raid." She meowed weakly, returning her gaze to the ground. "He came back to help. But then... he was gone."

Eaglepaw had desperately searched every corner of camp for him, for his body, but there was no sign of him. She had figured he had just left, deciding once and for all that clan life wasn't for him. He had returned for her, only to be caught up in a fight that he should have had no part in.

But Rushwater wasn't like that. He was strong, and independent, and extremely loyal to the clan. Eaglepaw had seen first hand how dedicated he was to Larkstar when she had been around. It should have been so obvious that there had been foul play. Maybe, if she had faith in her adopted father then, would he have been alone? Could she have helped him?

Was he even still alive?

Eaglepaw pushed herself to her paws. Normally, she had noticed, when apprentices play fought, the ground got all scuffed up. This was a relatively grassy area... maybe some grass got torn up if there was a struggle. And if there was a struggle, there was a perpetrator. Someone to tie to his disappearance. It didn't take long to find clumps of grass that were shorter than the rest, as if they hadd only just broken through the soil. Eaglepaw twisted to Dusklion. Surely the older warrior could tell if this was normal or indication of a struggle, right? "M-Maybe there was a struggle. This grass was all torn up, yeah? M-Maybe that was from a fight?" She knew she sounded like she was grasping at straws, because frankly, she was. She needed Dusklion to tell her she wasn't crazy, to tell her that they could fix this. To tell her that everything was going to be okay.

[taillow]

DUSKLION
she/her | riverclan's head lionheart | 27 moons

The worry that was clear in those green eyes... it made Dusklion want to rip and tear into the forest until the truth about what had happened to Rushwater was revealed. She would burn the whole forest down for this kid. "We'll find him. Whatever's happened... we'll make sure he comes back in one piece, alright?" It felt wrong to make a promise that the dark tabby knew she couldn't realistically keep, but she had to offer Wings something in that moment.

Watching the younger cat get to his paws the dark tabby followed suit and studied the area around them. There were definitely signs of a struggle here. The scents around were too old to determine if any of them matched the scene - and with it being at the border it was hard to tell if what she was scenting was just from the markers or something more... sinister. "It... looks like it." There was a graveness to her voice before her eyes flickered to Wings. "But Rushwater's a strong cat. Strong fighter. Whatever happened... I'm sure he put up the fight of his life."

Taking one last look at the scene around her, she flicked her tail for Wings to join her. "We gotta report this to Fades, 'n figure out what to do next."

[ Eaglepaw - @Mica ]