sensitive topics 𝐈'𝐕𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ╱ 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 & 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

[SUNSTAR]

PAFP POST! [ cw: some general gore that comes with leader deaths ]

Limp does not mean dead.

In the moments of fading consciousness Sunstar hears his own breath gurgling, and the sticky noise of paws through wet sand just by his untwitching ear. The words themselves do not reach him. Like the starlight far above his head, brushing off a burnished pelt but not enough that it may stick. Had they ever touched him before? Without the moon as guidance, his blood is black as the dark pits of his eyes. Unblinking. Beast's fangs have left a mark deep within his throat. Past the heart-path of his arteries, into the place where breath would fill his lungs and words rumble from his tongue. Carved from him a path that takes him nearly straight through — Granitepelt is gone, and this is the last thought that Sunstar knows.

The corpse of him jolts. Even in death, it seems, he rebels. A weak, wet inhale that whistles through his larynx, half life and dead again where his mind laps at the corners of thought. A red tide takes him once more. In the safety of his camp, this half-trance takes so long. Had Wolfsong come for him quickly the first of his deaths? Had he labored in half-life as the fire raged on for a lifetime like this? His home just out of reach? Copper on his tongue is the first sensation of life. And then–

Sunstar screams. A sound no creature should make. The roar that vibrates in his chest comes out all wrong. Pained and high pitched through gritted teeth. Ground bone beneath the metal, the parts of him meant to be restrained turned inside out at another's cruel desire. With blood still dripping wet from his jaw and down to his chest, the leader rolls to his belly and retches. More of his life rolls out from a barbed tongue. Black as sin and StarClan's ire. Darker than even the moon that had sent them home again. It drips onto his paws. They flex into the sand. Wet as the shore. The breeze lapping like waves across his pelt. He is home, and it is safe, and Sunstar does not feel either of these things.

𝐈 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐌 𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐎𝐔𝐒 ╱ ( 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝗕𝐀𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐆 ) 〚 06.03 〛 🟒ᨒ

• ooc: please wait for @WOLFSONG !!
• ↟ 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑.  ╱  AMAB  HE - HIM - HIS.  LEADER OF WINDCLAN.  ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆  ⋆̶̬́̀
  ————  a rogue brought to windclan in a search for greatness, one of sootstar's most loyal warriors turned into her downfall. with a mate and kits to worry about, and now nine lives from starclan with a missing limb, windclan's leader has a lot to prove.
  
  
  
  a large chocolate and white rosette tom with seaglass eyes. the first thing many see when looking at sunstar now is not his proud posture or un-windclan build, but the scarred stump that remains of his front left leg. a wound that would have killed most other cats took one of his lives; not even starclan could repair it.

• "speech"

​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── This, perhaps, is the punishment he has wrought for invoking Granitepelt's name at the Gathering. StarClan may have clouded the moon when the ShadowClanner nicked his ear, but somehow Wolfsong— spoke this grievous attack into being, and worse still, he could not even be present with the rest of the warriors, lagging behind to tend a cat with a thorn lodged deep into a paw. If they had walked true, Wolfsong would have been here sooner, and maybe he could have struck Granitepelt's eyes from his head before he stole yet again, his mate's life between his teeth like a ShadowClan kit.

Knowing he will live does not ease the strain in Wolfsong's heart. It struggles to beat, wound in the thickest of gorse that crawls like moss to strangle his lungs, each breath a shallow flinch as his mate...just lies there. He is dead, the ground dark with Wolfsong's failure, and he does not jerk when Sunstar does, but holds himself tightly still, his sole eye blurring. The unnatural sound that erupts from Sunstar is the scream of the dead; it is not for living ears, but Sunstar defies reason with StarClan's will.

It is messy. Wolfsong is a warrior and medicine cat, breaker and mender, and yet the blood he coughs curdles his stomach. It does free him of his invisible bonds and he falls forward, paws gently stroking over every bit of burnished fur he can reach, though he knows his are the last paws Sunstar wants upon his pelt. "Sunstar," he whispers, hoarse. Then he gathers himself and tries again, a little louder. "Sunstar, the medicine den— we must go. Can you walk that far?"
​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 42 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTAR (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge.
  — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know; he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel."
  — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you.
  — ★★★☆☆ KITTING: Thanks to Starlingheart and his own pregnancy, he's better prepared for the arrival of kits, but any complications will need a little faith and a lot of luck.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

​

 

[UKALEK]

Petite paws move to stand mere mouse-lengths away. His uneven gaze settles upon the red-furred leader, an old friend he’s just united with now lays bloodied on the ground. Ukalek has seen an ample amount of wounds in his lifetime, this one nearly takes the honey. A pained, high-pitch growl bubbles out from his throat, Ellisif moves to touch his dying mate’s fur, asking if it is possible to get him to his den.

Ukalek looks at Ellisif quizzingly. He’s faced the grizzlies of the mountains. He’s both faced and brought on death, and as this clans healer he can only imagine he’s witnessed it countless more times after departing from the mountains. Did love grip his heart so strongly to see that any effort to safe the dying tom would be in vain?

”It would be most peaceful to let death take its course.” Ukalek offers hesitantly, doubtful that the fact they share a former home would be enough to spare him from a grieving Ellisif’s wrath. He had heard plenty tales about it back home, even if he had never faced it himself he did not wish to learn if they were true today. ’I am sorry’ he thinks, but the words never leave the tip of his tongue. ”This death is honorable. Noble. Any cat could only wish to go out the same.” To die in battle protecting your honor, your land, and the cats you care for within it. There was nothing that made whatever gods that walked in the sky smile more.

🐇 INFO BATTLE

• he just showed up here and has no idea leaders have extra lives help
• » Ukalek
  » Loner
  » He/him . AFAB
  » An oriental-featured chocolate point with unusual blue eyes
  » ”Speech”․ thoughts ․ attack
  
• » A poor fighter who uses his wits to trick his opponents.
  » Excels in smarts and using it to get his opponents where he wants them.
  » Fights defensively and at the order of his leader..
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing

​

 

[downyfur]

A great too-many things had happened at once. Downypaw staggers away from the nursery, uncaring of the blood that squelches between their toes and soaks into the delicate white. It's Thornrunner's and Nightingalecry's, at least, mixed in with the dregs of the living queens' wounds. Somewhere in the background, WindClan's kittens cry. It pulls an ache from their heart, the speed at which memory is yanked from them painful: that was them, once, with the rogues and with Sootstar's WindClan. They cannot bring themself to try and soothe their cracking voices any longer while Rattleheart and Periwinklebreeze gather themselves, so it's to the greater scatter they walk.

A guttural howl loses from the center, tearing a gasp from their blocked throat. What now? She's not in much of a hurry to find out, but a horrified sort of curiosity compels her to.

Sunstar sprawls against the ground as though picked up by some giant, celestial paw, then slammed into a wet splatter against the earth. Moon-wide eyes watch him retch away his mortality, and it's as clear as day that he's one step closer to StarClan now. Like the rest of them. Wolfsong ushers him towards his den, but Downypaw's not so sure he can even stand, if not for the drooling wound at his throat then the possibility of forgetting his missing limb in a fit of unconsciousness.

Bile, bloody and stinging, burns the hind of their mouth. Their stomach presses against the base of their throat in a nauseating way. The cat next to them, dark-faced and well-meaning, breaks from the line in an attempt to console Wolfsong. The confusion is intense enough to momentarily shock them out of revulsion; they pick up their jaw once they realize what it's about. "He is not dead," they murmur haltingly, attempting to tap Ukalek's shoulder with their puffy tail. "Or dying." The Horseplace cats had a hard enough time as it was accepting his nine lives, and they lived in close proximity to the clans. From what she's heard, this is a true outsider, a fish who sailed past land and straight into the clouds. "Our leaders... they have more than one life," she breathes, trying and failing to be reverent amid the bloodied, tattered camp.

windclan apprentice | "speech." | tags​

​

 

[rivewhisper]

She had refused to leave his side.

When the battle ended did Rivewhisper find herself sitting at her father's flank, only moved far enough to allow Wolfsong access to his mate's song. The mountain king's daughter's eyes were unfocused, red rimmed with hiccups of sobs still leaving her mouth. The only thing that sparks her eyes to turn is the scream loosed from still recovering neck, vision lifting up towards her other parent with flattened ears. "I can.. I can help-" She started to whisper, but the stranger- who was he?- spoke up.

Her vision snapped up, anguish quickly finding her at his words. Before Rivewhisper's tongue could spit out something sharp and unyielding, Downypaw was quick to utter something to him. Lips still drew back to reveal sharp teeth, blue eyes sharp and narrowed at Ukalek. "Back. Up." Rivewhisper hissed at the stranger.

No, she did not know this stranger knew her ðir or her father, but she didn't care. He wasn't Windclan. Her head turned away after pointed, owl-sharp eyes stared a moment longer, dropping back to her red-stained father. Rivewhisper did not speak many more words, her tail pressing against Sunstar's flank, on the edge of screaming and crying still. Her throat cleared, and when she spoke again, it was directly to Wolfsong. "I can help move him, when... when he can move."

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ┌── AND ITS BEEN SO LONG THAT IM ⋅❁⋅ FORGETTING WHAT IT FEELS LIKE ──┐‎

• "speech"
  

• 

• RIVEWHISPER she/her, moor runner of windclan, eleven moons.
  ⭃ LH broken braided chocolate tabby with high white and piercing blue eyes. scars stretch over her left eye and across her stomach. graceful, sleek, average height. built for running and stamina
  ⭃ mentored by snakehiss / sunstar / / mentoring no one
  ⭃ small romantic interest in redheart / / sibling to featherspine ; sunlitwing ; bearflight ; singedpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[FEATHERSPINE]

"St-stop it, you don't know anything," Featherspine spat, misery clinging to his voice, venom in his eyes pointed right at the stranger. Like Rivewhisper, he did not know Ukalek's relationship to his parents- he just hears someone rattling off, acting like his father was going to die, was going to die in front of him at the horrid, gnashing teeth of those filthy Duskclanners. Fury writhed within him, stretched tendrils around every bone. She should have been here, just as she should have been with Bluepool... nothing, nothing would have happened if he could have been here. He'd have died in Sunstar's place, he'd have...

No, that was a stupid thought. Born in fury, inferno smoke rising and choking out irrationality. Sunstar had eight lives to everyone's one; only when it came to his father's last life would he have to throw himself in front of fatal claws, but... but still, to see scarlet snaking out in the grass like this still hurt.

"Father... Father, move, p-p-please.". Featherspine stuck close to Rivewhisper's side, glancing at his littermate for a moment. Her lip threatened to tremble, but she would not let it- no, she kept narrowed eyes focused on her father's face. Ther glaring furrow kept sorrow behind a steely shield. Until later, she vowed within not to shed a single tear. Sunstar would be fine.​

✦ penned by pin​

 

[PINKSHINE]

NOTE: mobile post!

Pinkpaw finds Downypaw as soon as she can. They are both bloodied, with stained claws and non - white coats, but neither of them are worse off than Sunstar. Again, death looms over him. Again, its gruesome. Not like the way it was before, brutal enough that the rip of bone had been near - seamless. So sudden that it took Pinkpaw long after, to realize what had happened to him.

Sunstar died by a cat's paws, this time. His wounds were not hidden by a wall of fire, thid time. It is like the roar of his meeting's summon, but also... not all, high - pitched and blood curdling, rather than invigorating. Though she had found Downypaw wanting to comfort them... instead, Pinkpaw ends up attempting to bury her head in her sister's coat, unable to look.

The strange newcomers remark would almost be funny, if Sunstar didn't have to die for it to happen... So maybe it wasn't very funny at all. A sniffle is all she can offer. Her smile drops.​

 

[SCORCHSTORM]

Scorchstorm is addled. She had watched Rumblerain tear their claws through her clanmate; had watched them turn tail and depart, but not with cowardice. She wants them in the warrior's den with her more than anything. She wants to sit in their sandy hollow and look up at the stars — wants to chase butterflies with them again, like they did when they were kits, once butterflies return to the soot-scarred moor.

And her mentor. Sunstar had inherited her late into her apprenticeship, but that fact did not diminish their bond. She'd always looked up to him, even back when he was merely Sunstride, and she would do anything to obey him now — but he is in no state to be giving orders. His throat torn, his blood spilled, his body weak and weary. She looks down at him with grief laid thick over golden eyes. He is not dead now, not really, but sometimes she wonders if it would be a mercy to grant him death permanently. It hurts her deeply to watch him suffer, hurts her deeper to watch his kits suffer for him.

Scorchstorm stills near Featherspine. The poor girl had lost her mentor and her father twice-over, in such quick succession — and though Sunstar could return, as proven by his wet whistling breath, Bluepool could not. She flicks her white-tipped tail at the younger warrior's side, hoping to support him, though her gaze is elsewhere. Poor Ukalek receives the brunt of the children's grief and anger. Downypaw does well to correct him.

The flame-streaked girl's paws plant firmly in the sand. "He'll be okay," she murmurs through an aching jaw, more of a prayer than a certainty. Even with nine lives, the damage Sunstar has sustained is of great magnitude. Would StarClan patch the chunk of flesh that has been torn from him? She pictures him atop the Tallrock, the veins in his throat grisly and exposed, and shudders. Hopefully they would be merciful enough to regrow the skin.

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄 ✧ 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐌

• 

• 
  
  — scorchkit . scorchpaw . scorchstorm
  — she/they ; warrior of windclan
  — short-haired tortoiseshell she-cat with low white and orange/yellow eyes
  — "speech" ; thoughts
  — signature by dreamydoggo, template art by sixbane
  — penned by meghan

​

 

[UKALEK]

The young cat who bares the blue mask settles beside him. A tap is given to his shoulder before they break to him unbelievable news. ’He is not dying,’ They inform, ’our leaders… they have more than one life.’

Ukalek looks at them confused, his long ears turning back against his head. ”…Yes.” He meows hesitantly, ”He will be born again on the ancestral plane.” That must be what the fluffy-coat feline was trying to inform him, and he believes in that too. Still, in this life Sunstar was dying.

Ginger and red bare their teeth at him, spitting demands for Ukalek to go away. His whiskers twitch awkwardly, his ears had grown unfamiliar with being told what to do by other cats. Still, when they murmur titles such as ’father’ he knows it is best to move, there is no arguing with a kit grieving their dying parent.

Taking several paces backwards he gives the crowd ample room. Once he has gotten himself out of the way he gazes in the direction of Sunstar, awaiting to hear yowls of agonizing grief erupt into the night air when he drew his last breath.

🐇 INFO BATTLE

• » Ukalek
  » Loner
  » He/him . AFAB
  » An oriental-featured chocolate point with unusual blue eyes
  » ”Speech”․ thoughts ․ attack
  
• » A poor fighter who uses his wits to trick his opponents.
  » Excels in smarts and using it to get his opponents where he wants them.
  » Fights defensively and at the order of his leader..
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing

​