wc rebels ARRIVAL ╱ RAVEN-HARVEST ´ˎ˗

[SUNNVAR]

The wound upon his cheek began to sting some minutes back. As war faded to their backs, adrenaline went with him. Moor grass is a terrible pressure against his paws. What had once been a gentle tickle now stings between his toes and yanks at the frozen blood he carried. Rivepaw, too, is equally cold. He had noticed her breathing and that had been enough to soothe the worst of his rage. But in absence of that, Sunstride turns to worry. Beyond even his failure as a father to defend his bloodline, beyond the chill of Rivepaw's limp form. Those that follow him are wounded. Ousted from their home. It was his own fault, and he does not even have the space within him to regret what he has done. The many moons of keeping himself steady has worn him to an empty shell. As he guides his clan beneath the fence and across the horseplace pasture, the twolegs' beasts blessedly far from their slinking forms, he looks as tired as he has felt all this time.

In a space cleared of snow's dust, Sunstride gently sets Rivepaw to rest. Wolfsong is upon her quickly, his practiced gaze near-frantic in its search for what must be done. To tear himself from her is a terrible thing, but he cannot replace all that they had left in camp. He checks for the others, then the land around them. To the horseplace, the closest place he could think of.

Before them looms the twoleg barn. A place that he had once explored as Sootstar's loyal warrior, sent to gather what help could be found outside of their clan. The few loners that had sworn themselves to WindClan had never provided much. For that, he is now grateful. Perhaps they will remember him fondly enough to take pity upon the group he now drags ever onward. "Do not lose your faith here. We must push forward! Sootstar will not take WindClan with her to its grave." The burnished tom turns to the rest of the cats present. Pale eyes trace the outline of those they are missing, and the wounds that many now wear. "Bluepool," he calls, "you have walked these lands before. Do you know of a place where we may make our nests, free of the twolegs and their beasts? We will need to rest, and time to recover."

𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓  ╱╱ 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐕𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 〚 11.22.2023 〛 —————«

• OOC. @Yewberry @Echolight . :) other barn cats or horseplace-adjacent loners (ESPECIALLY) former windclan exiles, are welcome and ENCOURAGED to come join them <3
  
  i will be making a meeting of sorts shortly, but feel free to start utilizing our thread prefix and having your characters settle into their temporary home.
• 

  SUNSTRIDE. WINDCLAN DEPUTY & MOOR RUNNER.
  ——– HE – HIM – HIS ╱╱ 48+ MOONS OLD, ADULT.

  NPC x NPC, LONERS. MATE TO WOLFSONG; FATHER TO BEARPAW, SINGEDPAW, RIVEPAW, SUNLITPAW AND FEATHERPAW. MENTORING SCORCHPAW.
  
  TH ╱╱ LARGE CHOCOLATE ROSETTE TABBY, ICY EYES.

• "speech"

​

 

[slateheart]

-ˋˏ ༻☽༺ ˎˊ- With each step he took, Slatetooth felt the wear of exhaustion begin to set in. The sharp pains along his flank and torn ear turned into aches; the blood streaming down the left side of his face had dried. The dark-furred tom followed Sunstride and the other exiles in his own deafening silence, replaying the events of the day in his mind. How many cats were slain? How many were on Sootstar's paws?

As the cats briefly stopped, addressed by Sunstride while they waited to hear about the bedding situation from Bluepool, Slatetooth finally lifted his chin to take a head count. There were many cats among them that he suspected there would, as well as many cats that caught his surprise, Sootstar's own sister being one of them. But among those, only one caught caused his breath to hitch in his throat. Upon spotting Gravelsnap, Slatetooth warily made his way over, regarding Periwinklebreeze standing next to him with a dip of his head in solemn greeting. He turned his eyes towards Gravelsnap now. "You left," Slatetooth breathed. He had always assumed that his brother was one of Sootstar's loyal followers, always within the shadow of her and her father - much like himself, who was always prepared to turn his back as soon as the opportunity presented himself. To see him here now, alive, was a surprise entirely, but not an unwelcome one.

The memories of Lynxtooth's fallen body once again swarmed his mind with flashes of blood and claws and hate. His life-long tormenter, the murderer of his mothers, the greatest fear in his heart, was gone. At long last, they were free. In one sudden movement, Slatetooth lurched forward and pressed his face against Gravelsnap's shoulder, embracing him in one of the few moments of closeness he'd ever had. "Forgive me," he whispered, closing his eyes tight. "Lynxtooth is dead." If Gravelsnap allowed Slatetooth to remain at his shoulder, he would feel the drips of Slatetooth's tears falling upon his fur. To any cat that didn't know the family, Slatetooth was lost and alone, grieving the death of his dear father. They couldn't be any further from the truth. These tears were not born of sadness.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── WHEN YOU&#039;RE YOUNG ⋅❁⋅ YOU&#039;RE A LOADED GUN ──┐‎

• @GRAVELSNAP + mentioned @Periwinklebreeze. (feel free to interact as well!)

• 

• 
  SLATETOOTH ✩ he/him, moor-runner of windclan, 17 moons.
  ⭃ a reclusive short-haired black tom with low white and green eyes.
  ⭃ mate to no one. son of lynxtooth x adelaide. brother to gravelsnap and ashpaw.
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by ixora ↛ @.ixora on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[Echolight]

She has been back home for far too long without seeing her kin.
The first night in the barn had been filled with quiet chattering, being caught up on what Yew and Pollen could tell her.
Hyacinthbreaths murder had shook the calico to her core, even if the smoke leaders act was unsurprising.
The news of new siblings had been a silver lining around the otherwise dark cloud, but even still, Echolight did not trust she'd be met with a warm welcome if she simply strode back to the moors, not during what sounded like Sootstar's spiral to true madness.
Still, the molly cannot count the times she had crept along the moorland border, single blue eye forever searching for the familiar pelts of her mother, of Heavy Snow or her kits- desperate to talk with them before she would attempt a return.
Curled nearby Yew and Pollen, the sudden vibration of many pawsteps rumbling the dusty ground underfoot has the former Windclanner springing to her paws, untrusting gaze fixed on the slightly parted entrance to the barn.
Had Sootstar come to invade the horse place in search of prey? Of exiles? Cautiously, the scarred she-cat moves forward, blue eye peeking from the partially opened barn door.
Yet, it is familiar golden fur that greets her instead, pelt torn and ragged as he turns to the small group of moor-scented cats behind him.
Curiously, she watches from afar, eyes clicking rhythmically to each familiar face she spotted as he began to speak, letting her piece together her own context.
Slipping from the barn, the lanky loner would remain seemingly undetected as she let herself get closer, there's no threat in the way her former deputy stands.
When a powder blue optics finally catches sight of familiar calico fur, a darker reflection of herself, Echolight cannot hold herself back any longer.
"Brightshine?" Hardly above a whisper, the ghostly hued calico finally makes herself known, stepping forward with a round blue eye flickering through the cats gathered around her.

Where are my kits? Where is Lilacstem? … Why are they here?
"What's happened?"
Echolight doesn't know what else to say, last time her clanmates had seen any remnant of her, it had been the scene of her capture.
Yet, as a searching gaze still could not spot her children, her chest would swell with icy fear.

// interacting directly w/ @BRIGHTSHINE! @SUNSTRIDE
"Speech."
​

[ WHAT A TIME ]​

 

[Irispath]

Its late, and Yewberry was not prepared for the shock he was in for. The barn door was left slightly ajar, big enough for him to slip through. He's been inside all day, huddled away in his corner and sometimes leaving it to join the other barn cats on their endeavors. He feels like his mind is slowly deteriorating these days, eroding as his guilt and self loathing crash against it like waves at a rocky cliffside. It wont be easy to let it all go, but he has to, someday.

It was fortunate for him for Echolight to be with him. The others as well, There were so many cats here now. The hole in his heart from Hyacinthbreath's death is still raw and gaping, and he finds himself lost in memories of better times, trying to hold onto her as long as he can. Windclan has taken so much from him, and he can only blame himself for some of it. This is the train of thought he is stuck on, unable to derail it no matter how hard he tries to escape it.

He slips through the open door into the evening, taking steps into the snow and breathing in the crisp air. It does not take long for the scent to hit him, the scent of blood and Windclan. Alarm and terror shoots through him and sends his fur on end. His eyes widen and he looks around in near horror for the source.

Like a deer in the headlights he catches Sunstride's gaze, frozen in fear.

Did they come for him? Did they come for the other exiles here? Pollen, Echolight, Thymeroot, Galeforce, were they all in danger at this moment?

He sees the condition they are in, but the situation does not set in just yet. All he sees is a group of Windclanners encroaching upon what he considers a safe haven. His voice is caught in his throat at first, and he struggles to figure out what to do. What does he do? He can't trust them. But the more seconds that pass, the more he realizes the lack of aggression. The lack of an invading presence. He sees a young cat laid down by Wolfsong, and he starts to wonder what happened. He notices the lack of Sootstar and Badgermoon.

He takes a breath and swallows the lump in his throat. He takes a cautious few steps towards them.

"What are you doing here?" His voice is tense and shaking, "What is all this?" He almost demands.

Sunstride was a friend, and he trusted him. But Sunstride was also a loyal Windclanner, and there was nothing more dangerous than a loyal Windclanner.​

 

[RATTLEHEART]

There's blood in her teeth, and in her claws, and still steadily dripping down her side - staining the ground behind her auburn with every step forward that she took. Without the rush of anxiety and adrenaline running through her veins, the pain that had faded earlier was back in full force, and she found it difficult to keep herself up on her own four paws. It was because of this that she found herself leaning her good side against Scorchstreak, muttering grateful words to her sister as they followed in Sunstride's footsteps. Rattleheart didn't regret following him for a second - trusted her life in his paws more than possibly anyone else's, let along Sootstar's - but she does find herself wishing that the journey to the Horseplace was shorter. It was a relief when the twoleg barn finally came into view, a dry chuckle leaving her as she heard Sunstride and leaned more heavily into her sister's warmth. "I would not have followed you if I thought this was the end of Windclan, Sunstride. Sootstar will never win this fight." Her words were warm and genuine, full of support for her deputy - her leader, really - but they were also tired. So tired that she wanted nothing more than to sink to the ground and close her eyes right there.

Instead though, her attention was grabbed by the approach of both Echolight and Yewberry, confusion written all over both of their faces. Not that she could blame them, considering a massive chunk of Windclan had suddenly appeared on their doorstep. Though their questioning was directed towards Sunstride, she offered her own pained words to the pair. "Sootstar has gone mad." A pause, and another dry, pained laugh. "Even more mad. She stole kits, and ordered Sunstride to death for returning them to their home. She's brought about nothing but bloodshed." Rattleheart leaves the rest of the explanation - the rest of a plea for help - to Sunstride, knowing he would be able to explain things better. Especially considering her head was beginning to spin, desperate for a place to rest and have the wound running along her side patched up. Thank Starclan that Wolfsong had ended up coming along with all of them, considering none of the rest of them had the medical expertise necessary to patch the group's wounds.
​

[ PENNED BY EO ]​

 

[VENOMSTRIKE]

BUT AFTER WE'VE WEATHERED — The taste of metal lays heavy on his tongue and it makes him feel disgust that the blood of a loyalist lays on the roof of his mouth, he tries not to think of it much as he gives his apprentice an encouraging nudge forward with both ears pricked forward. He follows along Sunstride, Rattleheart, and the rest of the cats that had left what shambles remained in Windclan only to hear the deputy speak. A growl leaving his maw only to hiss out without a stumble in his words, it's clear on how he feels and he no longer hides it "Damn Sootstar and the rest of her brainless followers." A rough tongue swipes across his scarred maw in an attempt to clean the crimson from his chops only to continue walking along casting Rattleheart a concerned glance only to focus on where he's walking, he manages to brush his bristling fur down with a paw seeing two cats approaching them does he angle his ears in their direction. He goes silent as his friend tells then why they're here and he stops to stand beside them while motioning for @redpaw to join his side.

HELL AND HIGH WATER ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ TO LAY HERE TOGETHER

• 

• 
  ➷ shorthaired lilac/black tabby chimera with buttercup hued eyes
  ➷ 46 moons old; ages the 18th every month
  ➷ bisexual homoromantic; padding after rattleheart
  ➷ currently mentoring redpaw
  ➷ easy to befriend/interact with ; hard to anger/upset
  ➷ semi-difficult in combat; relies on brute strength, his large size, and endurance
  ➷ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ➷ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[FOGBOUND]

your entire existence gives me a headache, go stand over there .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

It was a peculiar experience being guided like a newborn kit, just barely able to walk without tumbling off-balance. He couldn't help the slow trickle of fear encompassing his entire being, sending ice through pulsating veins, so wrong and numbing that maybe it would have been better to die, but hadn't he promised to stay? His conversation with Rabbitclaw seemed moons ago with a newly gained apprentice.

It was a shame, standing in total darkness, but even then, Fogbound questioned if it was really darkness he saw or mind-numbing nothingness. His heavy-boned frame shivered despite the heavy layers of fur he wore with pride, groomed to perfection, but now appeared ragged and dirt-filled. His nose wrinkled at the feeling, nearly sitting down to pluck at the tangled wisps and provide some weak-willed comfort to the otherwise blind fool.

He nearly barked out a laugh at the thought, dark maw curling devilishly despite the swell of emotions that shouldn't be present in someone so chivalrous, perhaps even insane to some with his low cackle and distrustful words that spurred poor-tasted emotions. Instead, Fogbound let out a chuff, schooling his expression into something more like himself despite his … more than lackluster situation that would certainly draw a laugh from anyone who noted his more than uncharacteristic appearance. He breathed, staring at nothing in particular, but perhaps he was staring at someone, it wasn't if he would notice.

He had joked then, to Rabbitclaw if he had been blinded, and how thoughtful of StarClan to grant his wish. It was then that Fogbound couldn't help the loud, unnatural cackle to escape bloodied lips, grinning devilishly that it stretched at the flesh wound making his skin twitch beneath blue, albino smokey fur. The moor runner tutted, tail swishing lazily behind him while being guided by his late apprentice, thoughts drifting idly to Finchpaw with a rumbling hum on a dry tongue. It would be a shame if the little worm perished. An unpleasant thought that truly would have sent the tom back to sink his claws into someone's flesh before death greeted him like an old-time friend.

To think he cared about others. How laughable it was then, but now left him tasting acid and nearly making him halt if it wasn't for Mothmoon's presence guiding him, refusing to settle for anything but faux confidence, placing one paw in front of the other without hesitation did well to hide the bubbling fear of being trapped. He had joked then, about tunnelers, but even when he had shuffled deep into an abandoned badger set Fogbound felt the true power of trickling panic, skin prickling, and heart threatening to burst. He tsked. All in good fun, was it not?

It wasn't until Sunstride's voice broke his terrible musing with a loud chuff, ears angled forward to pinpoint the other's voice before settling in a random direction. He had lost sight of his family during the chaos, hoping they had escaped with the rest, even his ears angled to catch Rabbitclaw or Finchpaw's voice amongst the retreating crowd, but unable to over the low thrum of voices, paired with others that he had not heard for some moons.

"It's laughable that they continue to think of themselves as such, nothing more than mindless beings following a venomous snake." He mused with puckered lips, words flowing like warmed honey during greenleaf. He would remember his conversation with Thriftfeather and Mocking-Grin with disdain. Stealing kits. Attacking Sunstride. Oh, how peculiar this all was, even now, Fogbound couldn't help but hum in amusement despite his harrowing situation.

No longer useful, Fogbound would surely perish outside of WindClan's walls, but that mattered little when those he arguably cherished were out of harm's grasp, it was truly laughable to think how long this would last. The other clans would have much to say nearing the full moon when Sootstar and her parasites appear with devilish news. Traitors? Or perhaps pointless threats, piling upon lies. "She has always been mad, has she not? A pity, to see it crumble before us. I would rather perish than follow someone as such." A shock, no doubt with his daunting words and unpredictable nature. It was a surprise he didn't end up as a loyalist, but to follow someone so thoughtlessly, Fogbound's nose crinkled in annoyance. He truly would rather perish. He cared little for himself despite his charismatic twist of words, nothing else mattered than securing a future for … others he dared not admit.

The smokey moor runner grunted, feeling the last threads of adrenaline leave his frame, replaced by blistering wounds that festered in fiery agony. His eye throbbed, crusted with ichor that dribbled down his face, staining his white fur and looking more like a hanged ghost with gruesome features marked by badger claws and betrayal.

With a light-hearted hum, Fogbound paid little attention to anything else, helm tilted. Now. Now. It would be a shame to die now, wouldn't it? He thought with morbid amusement, grinning to himself. For his heart to shutter within a black cavern until his flank ceased to rise. He wondered, nothing more than a second if he would be missed, but even so, it would be a shame to no longer tease and annoy others. He had the most fun when others took the bait, slithering beneath other's skin, but Fogbound was nothing more than a gentleman despite his well-sought flaws. "It's a shame—" He mused, speaking to Mothmoon. "I cannot see, then how else am I to tease others?" He grinned. "I wonder, do I appear most frightening? Or perhaps I look no more than what I looked before. A pity. To be struck in the face, I wonder if I will look even more handsome once it heals." He tutted.

Shaking his helm, Fogbound glanced to where Mothmoon stood. "Tell me, my dear. Do wounds trouble you? It would be best to seek Wolfsong once he has tended Riverpaw. It would be worrisome for you to bleed out now." Uncaring of his own, Fogbound was ever the concerned mentor, no matter how much he would deny such a statement. He hummed, tail flickering. "I wonder where my little worm went. I had sent her off to seek Brightshine during the fight, do you see them anywhere?"

/ being guided + talking with @mothmoon ​

​

thought speech​

 

[PINKSHINE]

Pinkpaw does't really get what just happened. One second, she was in WindClan camp, hiding from her mentor. The next— Sootstar was yelling. And now, Pinkpaw and what seemed like half of WindClan were going on some sort of field trip. But it wasn't any fun, at all. Everyone was sad or angry... Pinkpaw had been angry too. But now she's just... confused. confused walking beside her mom and wondering why Bluefrost had been so angry... There are cats muttering all around her. Mismatched ears strian to figure out what the heck was going on...

And also— there are strangers here. Were they more bad guys? One of them knew her mom's name, and Pinkpaw would puff up to stand defensively behind her. " Who are you? " she asks, an ugly frown making its way to her face. Everything is too weird right now, and... and if everyone else could make ugly crying faces right now, so could she! And she wants to know the same thing the other grey mystery cat asks. What's happening.

So she listens to Rattleheart with wide - eyes. Sootstar's mad, they say. She's always been mad, apparently, someone else says. " But I thought, um... I thought WindClan were the good guys... " she says to no one in particular, pouting. Nothing made sense anymore...

staring at the mirror gotta smile, smile 🌸🌷🦄🦩 don't be late, we got plans!

• ooc: walking with @BRIGHTSHINE!

• 

• ( IT'S TIME TO START A FUCKING RIOT, RIOT! ) PINKPAW APPRENTICE OF WINDCLAN. DAUGHTER TO BRIGHTSHINE & HEAVY SNOW. SISTER TO HEATHPAW, DOWNYPAW, & FINCHPAW.
  —— SHE / HER; UNOPPOSED TO THE USE OF OTHERS
  —— CURRENTLY 4 MOONS OLD. AGES EVERY 16TH
  
  A tiny, longhaired calico she - kit with yellow eyes, ringed blue around her pupils (sectoral heterochromia). While you can clearly see her flame markings on her face, the rest of her body is currently covered by a grey fever - coating. Though the whites of her are still very much visible. Pinkpaw bounces around WindClan without a care in the world! Her emotions are big, and she makes little effort to regulate them, resulting in both her usually cheerful disposition, as well as making her prone to sudden bouts of extreme anger or sadness. Rarely seen without a smile!
  

  HEAVY IC OPINIONS! Pinkpaw is a very irrational and childish character!​

​

 

[Bluepool]

Her sisters screams ring in her ears - no doubt the words she had spoken would cry out in her nightmares for days to come. "ILL KILL YOU" she had yelled as she chased her but behind the anger she could tell there was pain. Pain because her kin, her blood, had turned her back on her. And how terrible it really did feel at the end of the day. This was the final cleave in their bond, the final act that would shatter their relationship irreparably. She had drawn her line in the sand and now there would never be any going back. She had chosen Sunstride over her own blood.

When finally their paws stop she feels her body relax. She could crawl into a nest right now and sleep for eons, but she knows their journey is far from over. Instantly, her tired eyes search for Featherpaw first, and then Scorchstreak and then Periwinklebreeze. Her thoughts also go to Mintshade but she hadn't seen her in the fray. Had she come with them or had she remained behind? Bluepool is not terribly sure but she hopes her shade-furred sister had made it out.

She looks up as Sunstride speaks, his words about taking back WindClan making her feel a fresh surge of hope in her chest. Sootstar would not have her icy claws dug into the moors forever. Of that, she would personally make sure. Her own claws dig into the soil and she is so busy imagining how they could retake her home that she almost misses it when again he speaks, this time to her. "There's the barn" she suggests, its the only place on the farm she can think of that would be safe enough "But other cats live there, we would have to ask them for sanctuary" she would pray to the stars they took pity on them and would allow them to stay until they could reclaim their rightful place.

An unfamiliar scent washes over her then, and she swings her head around, already on the defensive and ready to fight if she has to. But when she sees who it is... She blinks in surprise. Yewberry and Echolight were two cats she had thought lost to WindClan forever and yet here they were. "Sootstar has gone completely mad." she explains to Yewberry at his request. "Sunstride returned some kits that she stole and word got back to her. She wanted to execute him but we all" and here, she gestures to their rag tag group "we all fought back. We were driven out by her supporters and we need somewhere safe to regroup" somewhere safe to rest, to eat, to get their strength back up so that they could once again lay claim to what is rightfully theirs. Home.

// talking to @SUNSTRIDE and @Yewberry

​

 

[SCORCHSTAR]

She hasn't been out to the horseplace in a long while, since before the journey at least. There's been no need to venture out so far, no need to collect sheep's wool yet. It feels wrong to be here, now—a WindClanner no more, and with her sister stumbling along and leaning against her side. Her own fur is surely soaked with blood, though she cannot see the wound in her neck, and Scorchstreak is struck with a sense of relief when Sunstride finally turns to address them. This is not the end of them, and it isn't the end of WindClan. Sootstar will not win this war—and it's odd, a sharp pain in her chest, as she realizes that she is an enemy, now. She is a WindClan exile, they all are, even if they stubbornly carry the name of their clan with them.

At last, she takes a moment to look around, scanning the faces of each cat that has come with them. Rattleheart at her side, looking worse for wear but still breathing. Bluepool, exhaustion heavy in her expression. "Where is Scorchpaw? Rumblepaw? Luckypaw?" Her own voice sounds strange in her ears, worry rising in her throat. Where are her kits? She knows that Pinkpaw has made it out safely—she spots the apprentice near her mother's side, another small relief—but the rush of battle and the subsequent retreat had drowned out all awareness of the world around her.

The scent that meets them next sends Scorchstreak's pelt bristling, though her posture screams exhaustion. WindClan's exiles, cats she had once fought against, wanted to kill… and now she is part of them. They all are. The scar across her chest itches as she stares down Yewberry, clearly the more threatening of the two who have greeted them so far. Of course, Pinkpaw is quick to approach the two, and the rest of her clanmates explain their situation. The calico sighs, continuing to seek out her kits and her sister. She has nothing to say to any of the other exiles, not unless they have the audacity to lift a claw against her allies.

// looking for @SCORCHPAW @LUCKYPAW @RABBITCLAW​

[ BE A FIRE, BURN THIS DOWN ]​

​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── Wolfsong does not have much. He had what he foraged before following the raven's wings, and what he managed to swipe before Sunstride called the retreat— but it is nothing like the stores he has built for moons, stores his daughter needs. He has to untangle the mass of cobwebs and moss from the other herbs he'd carried, and he presses the cobwebs to Rivepaw's face and belly in thick wads. Until the bleeding has slowed completely, he will not yet wash the wounds with moss, though he does bathe the sections of her fur stained from battle, keenly aware of his own matted paws and cheeks from Hummingbirdheart's rightful punishment.

She deserved worse for doing this to his child.

He looks to the others who followed, noting their faces, but conversation does not reach his ears. Wolfsong hears nothing, not Lynxtooth's death, not the incredulous strangers demanding answers nor Rattleheart's support for Sunstride. Like Scorchstreak, he searches for his children. Have I failed them, too, blinded by revenge? Sunlitpaw, Featherpaw, Bearpaw, Singedpaw— his kits, his lifeblood.

Wolfsong breathes roughly through his nose, ears twisted back and his shoulders taut. He should have ensured each apprentice had followed, but he was— he couldn't look away from Rivepaw as Sunstride carried her. How could he? Even now, searching for his remaining children, he watches her breath fog the air faintly and aches.

//@Bearpaw @sunlitpaw @FEATHERPAW
​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 41 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTRIDE (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.

​

 

[REDHEART]

Heartbreak had followed him wherever he went it seemed. First his parents abandonment, then yellowcough, the rogues, and Sootstar's treachery. Out of all of it he managed to keep his positive demeanor. Yet knowing his childhood friend was left behind made the youth's chest ache and his stomach sour. So much so the pain in his paws is easily ignored as they pause. Taking in the scents of horse place and the strange cats puts him on edge. Muted greens peer upward as Sunstride and Bluepool speak and for once he cannot muster the energy to share in their passion.

Spine bristling with nerves until Rattleheart's voice settled the tensions. Noting his mentors silent motion Redpaw catches up and pushes into the older tom's side for comfort. At least you and Rattleheart are safe... His eyes close for a moment as he takes in his parental figures scent hoping to drown out the many stenches of the barn. He felt at ease when beside Venomstrike even if it was just for a second as Scorchstreak's worried voice rose above the crowd. The familiar pang of sadness returns as he looks to the molly.

The ruddy tom could not offer any knowledge on Scorchpaw or Luckypaw. Just the one. Shakily, he answered the older she-cat with misery in his tone. "I'm not sure about Scorchpaw and Luckypaw but Rumblerain chose to stay with the loyalists. I-I tried to convince him not to but..." Their words fall short as tears threaten to resurface. "He wouldn't listen. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Allowing silence to fill the space once more he turns and buries his nose into the grizzled pelt of his mentor.

Uncaring if a tear or two stained his cheeks. Knowing where Bluefrost's loyalties now lay her past insults didn't seem to sting so much and he grants himself to express grief. Uncaring if his remaining clanmates or the barn cats found him weak. Rumblerain would no longer be there to help dry the tears anyway.

OOC
Interacting with @VENOMSTRIKE and @SCORCHSTREAK ​

 

[FEATHERSPINE]

In trying to stay calm, Featherpaw felt frozen. What else could she do, except move through the land as an unmeltable glacier? In poisoned temper, her fur stood sharp as quills. Worry had crept all encompassing until it gripped her entirely- though her glare was mostly focused upon Rivepaw, still and carved and dying, she looked back toward her other siblings now and then. It was selfish, probably- that he looked to them only so he could settle his soul.

Wolfsong's face was stained, his fur tangled with viscera. A soft sigh left him when he spotted him, though what was woven within it, he was unsure. It did not feel like relief, but it might have been... in this brief respite.

Brief indeed. Strangers closed in like circling vultures, and Featherpaw was all but ready to spit venom, to scare them best he could. Recognition flickered in the eyes of his allies, though- bewilderment lay on the half-scarred face on one of the unknowns, as she closed in on Brightshine. Featherpaw tensed.

Still, she pushed away the feeling, closing in on Wolfsong. A glance was cast to Rivepaw, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. Featherpaw did not know what to do- he could not hurl any sense into her. "Is she going to die?" A childish question, muttered. Kit-like, too kit-like. He was still tense, though he spoke hushed, so the onlookers could not learn of his fear.​

✦ penned by pin​

 

[POLLENFUR]

"Sootstar has cast you out, so you seek to infiltrate our sanctuary." Her voice is weary, the consonants soft and flat. A chocolate tortoiseshell with wisps of fur buffeted in the breeze joins Yewberry and Echolight at the mouth of the barn. Amber eyes glow near-gold in the faded sun as they come to rest on the silver tabby who offers her explanation. Sootstar has gone completely mad. She recognizes the speaker, just as she does the rosetted tom who leads them. Sunstride, Bluepool—and the tortoiseshell looking for apprentices, that must be Scorchstreak.

Pollenfur rests her tail gently against Yewberry's trembling flank. When she speaks, it is with resignation. "Once, you all followed Sootstar's orders. You drove medicine cats from their posts. My sister, Emberfang, and Yewberry, Honeytwist, Coalfoot, Coldsnap, Hyacinthbreath—" She chokes, and she turns her face away. There is dull anger, the remnants of a fire that has long swept through a forest and left only cinders in its wake. She shakes her head. "We do not own this place. Stay here if you must. It is preferable to being driven out of our only home. There is shelter in the barn, and prey as well. Twolegs go in and out, but they do not bother us."

After a few heartbeats, Pollenfur turns again to search the crowd of Clan cats who swarms the fields. She spots Brightshine's dappled coat, Heavy Snow's thick white figure. Her jaw relaxes, and she leaves Echolight and Yewberry's side, padding hesitantly toward her littermate. "Brightshine… I'm so glad you're okay." She lowers her head, aiming to press it against her sister's. To the inquisitive little she-kit at Brightshine's side, Pollenfur aims an indulgent smile. She had watched her birth—how had she grown so big already, her little legs so sturdy, her pelt carrying wisps of tunnel-dirt on the wind? "This is the Horseplace, little one. That is Echolight, your sister, and Yewberry. He is a friend."

After a heartbeat, she turns to the group at large, though she still mainly addresses the little tortie. "I am Pollenfur. For those who do not remember, I served your mad leader once… but not for nearly as long as the rest of you." Her lip twitches, and she turns back to her sister. "Brightshine, where… where are the rest of your kits? Lilacstem?" There's a desperate gleam in her gaze now—she sees three, where there should be four.

, "​

​

 

[Galeforce]

↞ RACE THE WINDS

"Oh, this is rich!" Gale prowled forward from the shadows where he had been lurking with a menacing look in his eyes as he regarded the latest batch of outcasts from WindClan. It looked like quite the expulsion this time around given the number of faces, and from the weight of the clan's scent in the air. At least his ears had picked up the news that they had been chased away, otherwise he might have begun the process of planning their deaths in the more twisted depths of his mind.

"It took you all far too long to see the truth. She's the Mad Queen for a reason, and she needs to be killed." For far too long he had craved the opportunity to bring about her demise, maybe now the answer had just landed firmly in his lap. A fresh wave of exiles, each one carrying the very claws and strength that he needed in order to break past Sootstar's defences. "I'm Gale, formerly Galeforce. I won't cause any of you harm, unless you give me a reason to. Now then, is this all of you? Or are there some unaccounted for? I could head out and search for them, bring them here."
​

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

I'M NO BURDEN - NOT SO WORTHLESS
BENT SO MUCH THAT I JUST MIGHT BREAK ​

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periwinklebreeze ❀ 16 moons ❀ demi-boy ❀ he/they ❀ windclan moor runner​

---

Peri is still left floating in a state of shock, blue eyes unseeing,ears unhearing. He pays little attention to his surroundings once they arrive - instead seeking comfort in the touch of gravelsnap against his frail frame. It's uexpected - undeserved. Even a few moons ago, he'd thought it a comfort he'd never get to have - and now it has happened not once, but twice. He shouldn't feel so contented, given the state of himself and his clanmates, of windclans future - but he does.

He has to fight off a happy purr even as Slatetooth arrives to speak to his... friend, giving a half-heated nod in return - he is untrusting of the tom, even if he is gravelsnaps sibling. The conversation they begin is one he doesn't think he has the right to, and so with one last gentle touch he goes to move away - to search the crowd for the others he cares for.

Bluepool is easy to find - her voice ringing out at sunstrides command. Azaleafrost escapes him - so does sunflowermask and goldenstrike. Nightinalecry. He can only hope that those out on patrol will stay safe, and that those who were in the battle are simply... straggling. He does not know what he'd do if he finds them gone. Dead. Or... worse.

Blue eyes blink, head snapping to attention as voices not their own join the crowd - the horseplace loners. The exiles. He holds no harsh feelings towards echolight, nor yewberry - and pollenfur is an utterly unfamiliar sight. She speaks of things he knows well, and yet the boy cannot seem to place her face in his memories. Maybe he'd just been to young - but soemthing about how she speaks now irks him.

"You think it w-w-was that easy? To leave, to live? Who- who are y-you to speak of my m-mother, of our ch-choices" he snaps, tail lashing. The knowledge that she is dead, gone, it haunts him. She is in starclan now, far from his reach. She'd told him to stay, to live as a widnclanner -so who is this cat to mock his choice. He'd done what he had to to stay safe - he'd stayed, and stayed, and stayed, until he couldn't.

And then he arrives, and peri see's red. It's shocking, seeing the boy move so fast - that the quiet tom who'd put up with so much, who'd always said so little, who avoided bloodshed... be the first to break this tentative peace. "You! M-m-murderer!" he snaps, lunging towards galeforce blindly, as though to pin him down. He's not in control of himself - only knows that this- this is the reason for the death of his friend, his brother in all but blood. He's certain if vulturemasks siblings were near, they'd have done the same.

"Won't c-cause us harm! HAH! as though you h-havn't killed f-f-for less! You have a-already killed our c-clanmates before, u-un-provoked," he snarls. He- he wants to kill him. Wants to see his body splayed out across the ground the same way he'd been forced to see vulturemasks.

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

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T H E ━ Q U E S T I O N S ━ T H A T ━ K E E P ━ M E ━ A W A K E

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// interacting with @slatetooth & @POLLENFUR briefly, attempting to attack @Galeforce but intervention is more than welcome! someone please stop this idiot he's just feeling a bit emotional lmao

 

[Bluepool]

She is waiting for an answer when suddenly more chaos errupts. Her former apprentices stuttering cries ring out in her ears and immediately her head snaps to the source. "M-m-murderer". It only takes a second for her eyes to land on the cat he is attacking, for recognition to make her vision cloud with hatred. Vulturemask had not been her favorite clanmate but he had not been evil, he had been necessary, even. The Clan's sole medicine cat. By taking his life, Galeforce had left the clan without a healer. That is, until Wolfsong had stepped forwards to take the reigns. Stars above though she does not want to think about what would have happened if she hadn't.

Despite her anger though she recognizes something vital about this situation. They are vulnerable, at the barn cats mercy. If they killed one of them right now, she is certain they would turn them away. They would lose their safe refuge and then where would they go? So she lunges forward "ENOUGH!" She cries out just before she digs her teeth into Periwinklebreeze's scruff and drags him off the rogue beneath him. "Not here. Not now." is all she says to him after she drags him away and deposits him on the ground a couple of fox lengths away.

Galeforce was not safe from her anger though, the second she ensures Periwinklebreeze is a safe distance away, she fixes the former WindClanner with a fierce stare, bares her teeth at him "You have a lot of guts showing your face here, after what you took from us" she says, her voice a low growl as her scrappy tail swings furiously back and forth behind her "You may have not liked my sister but you didn't have to take our medicine cat from us. By doing this you endangered innocents. Queens, kits, elders who would all die without the care of a healer. Tell me is that the act of a cat we can trust not to slit our throats while we sleep?" and then she turns to Sunstride, studies his face for a reaction "What do you want us to do, sir?" she would drive him off at his word, dig her teeth into his throat. Anything if only he would let her but nothing until he gave the word.

// interacting with @Periwinklebreeze. @Galeforce and @SUNSTRIDE
​

 

[Irispath]

It is not a raiding party as he had feared, instead they have finally seen fit to flee Sootstar's grip after she kitnapped kits from another clan. He is only briefly surprised, of course she'd do something like that. There are numerous things he wants to say, but Pollen and Gale are quicker to say it than he. He appreciates Pollen standing next to him and presses against her briefly. There are very few cats he trusts among this group of Windclanners, and he will not let his guard down.

"I won't forget how easy it was for Windclan to run me and Gale out after I opened my mouth. I wont forget how happy the cats chasing me were to finally have the chance to kill me." He says. "I wont forget how terrible Dandelionwish was treated after all he had done for your clan of barbaric brutes. I also know how his escape went, and I won't forgive anyone for that either." He continues, sunset amber eyes that were once warm and kind now gone cold and harsh.

"It really did take you all too long to see that Sootstar is a monster. But since you've finally opened your eyes, I suppose I can give you all a chance." He says, ears flat.

No sooner did they fall flat did they prick upwards as Periwinklebreeze rushes to attack Gale. He remembers how close he was to Vulturemask, and its no surprise that this is why he's attacking Gale. Thankfully, Bluepool intervenes and pulls Periwinklebreeze away. Yewberry did not want to hurt him, especially after catching a glimpse of the toms condition. What did Windclan DO to him???

But Bluepool's words ignite him once more, and he sends her a sharp glare.

"Oh, because Windclan has always cared SO MUCH about their medicine cats, right? Don't make me laugh. You replaced Vulturemask quick enough, I'm sure. And you want to talk about endangering innocents? Tell me then." His glare becomes stone cold and sharp, threatening to pierce Bluepool's very soul.

"How have my kits been treated then, hm? How about Hyacinthbreath's?" He hisses venomously. He knows the answer, he doesn't need to be a detective or spy to figure it out. " Don't you dare preach about endangering innocents when Windclan so easily jumps to mistreat its own. How can I trust YOU not to slit OUR throats in our sleep? Keep your barbarism out of this place."​

 

[Echolight]

Her question is met with multiple replies, all carrying the same answer.
Sootstar has gone mad.
Echolight blinks once, twice, letting the information settle in her ears, a patchwork kitten glued to her mothers side demands to know who she is. Yewberry and Pollenfur join her side, but are both quick to step forward, her aunt making a beeline for her mother.
While many questions still remained unanswered, Echolight still finally steps fully forward, paws intent on closing the gap between her and her mother when Gale has made his presence known, words antagonizing but holding truth.
Still there is no step in the lanky loners gait until she can finally attempt to embrace Brightshine and Heavy Snow. Content to let Pollenfur introduce her while the she-cat took a moment to try and process reality.
Stepping back, her attention would finally settle on Pinkpaw.
"Pollenfur is right, I was captured by twolegs before you were born." Echolight confirms, but her story would have to wait as she looks to Pollenfur, then to Heavy Snow and Brightshine.
"My kits?" The scarred-faced feline adds softly, pleadingly.
The curious peace in the air does not last long, Periwinklebreeze springs for Gale, Bluepool intervenes but her hackles are raised- even Yewberry bares his teeth accusingly.
Echolight forces herself to step away, to come to Yewberry side with a light touch of her tail against his.
"Yewberry." Her tone is not scolding nor sharp, but they need to remain grounded.
A starlit optic turns to the gathered Windclan cats, sliding past each face until she is looking at Sunstride once more.
"They are not wrong. While we may not forbid you from resting here, the treatment of my kin and the cast-aways that reside here cannot be ignored. Your complacency is what gave Sootstar her power. You cannot blame our distrust when there is no guarantee for our safety." Her words are loud, but spoken with a still calmness, eye casting towards Gale and Periwinklebreeze.
"Much like what Pollenfur said, stay if you must, but keep yours claws to yourself. Do not disrupt the peace many have come here to find."
With that, she'd aim to give Yewberry one last reassuring nudge before moving back to her family, to try and tie together the metaphorical strings she could.

"Speech."
​

[ WHAT A TIME ]​

 

[Mouseflight]

Coming to a stop the tunneler fought to catch his breath, ears pricked and eyes wildly moving around as he spun for a moment, making sure that they weren't followed, that they loyalists didn't continue to chase them past their home, didn't try to claim this place was theirs as well. When he realized all was well after all he quickly sat, chest heaving and fur slowly lying flat as the tom finally began to rest. He remained silent as those around him spoke, questions were flung in the air and answered, accusations tossed and flung back and he couldn't help but remain silent still as Perwinkle lunged for Gale only to be pulled back by Bluepool.

He looked around once more and deflated as he noticed the cats missing, those who hadn't come with them. Were they loyalists after all or were they simply prisoners? He didn't know and although he couldn't help it, Mouseflight found himself not wanting to actually think about it. "Thank you." He breathed out to the cats around them, those that had been ran from WindClan one time, cats he would have helped chase out earlier in his life if he had been given the chance. Now though? Although there were some he could still see as traitors to WindClan it was far less than were here now. "I know I don't speak for myself when I say the help is appreciated, and the mistrust is... warranted given the situation."

⋆｡°✩ threw my voice into the dark

•  
• 
  ⋆ mousekit - mousepaw - mouseflight
  ⋆ ftm - he/him - 12 moons
  ⋆ bisexual - open to relationship
  ⋆ tunneler of windclan
  ⋆ attack - speech - thought
  ⋆ penned by tikki

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