camp A Cracking In the Night | Fireworks 🎆

[Cindershade]

The last few peaks of a Green-Leaf sun had finally succumbed to a nightly rest, returning below the distant peaks of the mountains in the distance and hidden among towering trees. It had left them with an overbearing warmth, the air thick with heat and uncomfortable in their skin. The river provided a scapegoat from it's golden sheen, cooling off heated paws and sweltering bodies with a chilling kiss. Now as the sky rolled out an open carpet of colors, pale light haloing above where the sun had once been—finally, the ambient temperature would drop as the moon began it's ascent to the very Heavens.
A sigh of relief breathes through blackened lips, a soundful huff that passes over a blushed tongue. Cindershade was never a fan of the heat despite the greenery that blossomed and how it breathed life into the world. Tendril-like branches if the willows that sway above her carried little shade, albeit the sedge and reeds that surrounded them provided just enough to be comfortable. Their island home was buzzing with voices now, warriors paired off in groups or sharing solitude as she did when it was time to unwind. Despite the hair-raising alarm of loners or the lowering river, it had been quite peaceful. Shaded paws would stretch and toes would flex against the soil, ivory claws digging as stout shoulders flexed. What remains of a trout lay beside her, barren of scales and meat—only what remained were thin, needle-point bones picked pristine for her to store later. A collection she'd start once again, hopefully this time won't be obscured by obsidian paws nor washed away from flooding rapids.
Content where she was, the lead warrior's bulking flanks curled in on herself. A thick tail placed in front of tucked limbs and lids hooded with an encroaching snooze. Darkness brimmed at the edge of her vision, growing closer...closer, until eyes were almost shut.

Boom! Crack!

An ear shattering pop roared across the very edge of twilight, an array of stars now dimmed by a much more vibrant flash of light. Short limbs jolt and once slitted eyes flew open—wide with alarm. What sas once sleek fur now was tousled and fluffed along her spine akin to quills, her back arched at the noise. Verdant eyes flit to the sky, searching for heavy clouds filled with rain. But there was none. The sky was still crystalline, the flash that once lit the red of her lids now disappearing as quick like lightning. "What in the name of StarClan?!" Her voice rose in a hefty shrill, clearly shaken from the scare. Was she dreaming? No—it couldn't be. There was no way. Another shot of fire then rears up to the sky, exploding with another clap of the loudest thunder she'd ever heard. What came next was an array of vibrant color, green and white fire flashed acrossed the sky and her fear melted away, replaced by a lingering awe. She remembered these. She had seen them before as a young child. The crack has her ears pinned tightly against her helm, the roar of blood still drowned out by the noise. She remembersher mother holding her close, telling her that it was the work of Two-Legs and, fortunately, were relatively harmless, just near defeaning. Balls of fire that explode into the night sky, a celebration of some sort for the Two-Legs.
The lead warrior lessens her defensive posture now, though another screams into the air now before exploding into a vibrant white flash now—a delayed crackle of smaller explosions and she winces from the noise. She turns to her clan mates, brows now pinched together in irritation. "So much for a pleasant night."


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[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​

 

[Petalnose]

The sounds of the night were slowly putting Petalnose to sleep, a losing fight to stay awake yet again to avoid her night terrors. Mix-matched eyes slowly began to close and her head slowly fell alongside it. For a few moments she started to drift off, becoming unconscious to the inescapable need.

Then there was a noise. A deafening screech and pop.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she immediately shot up to stand as if she had been commanded. There was color spraying over the sky. Her fur rose, although, to those thinking it was fear they were mistaken. She wanted to fight whoever sent the source, her claws unsheathing and damaging the moss below her. She bounded out of the den as if she was charging into battle, staring up at the sky and then the territory where she supposed the source was coming from. Petalnose had not remembered what these things were, so she was just as confused as the kittens and apprentices that shot awake from the noise.

Her nose rose to scent the sky. It smelt like ash. Then she looked at where it possibly came from again. It seemed to have come from the general area of the twoleg place which made her fur slowly lay flat again in a sort of realization. "Is this some stupid twoleg thing or is Starclan exploding?" She spat, her eyes looking over her shoulder to whomever was awake. It seemed to be Cindershade, who looked rather calm for the type of situation she thought was threatening. Was this a regular tradition she didn't know happened? Surely, it was normal if the fellow lead warrior wasn't reacting to anything but the sound. Atleast, it made the fiery woman relax about the situation. “How does this not set the territory on fire?”

//Rushed before work! Tags​

 

[CRAPPIEPATCH]

The eruption of noise from the sky draws Crappiepatch’s attention, and the young warrior glances up, expecting to see some sort of attacking force. ThunderClanners springing from the trees, perhaps—or worse, WindClanners. But instead there is only the dark of the night sky, no possible source of the noise in sight. At least, until the next one comes. First it is a bright streak across the sky, and then it bursts into swirling colors. A pretty sight, if not a bit strange. Perhaps it is a sign from StarClan, one of good fortune.

And then a thunderous crash echoes, and Crappiepatch’s terror takes them straight to Cindershade and Petalnose. All disdain they may feel is thrust aside in favor of terror. "What—" they nearly choke on their own panic, hazel eyes blown wide as they skitter closer to the two lead warriors. "What is going on? What are those?" Have the stars sent down something worse than a lightning strike? They hunker down into a crouch, stumpy tail tucked between their legs.

Petalnose speaks of fire, and the calico’s ears pin themselves to their head. They were not concerned about it before, but now all they can think of is flames, bright and bold, licking at their home. Never mind that the island is surrounded on all sides by water; logic means nothing in the face of fear. Why is Cindershade not panicking as they are?​

[ my my, cold hearted child ]​

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[GILLSIGHT]

The young warrior has only settled within his nest, curled up and prepared for a night of needed slumber after a day's worth of hard work. Early, he's made the move to the warrior den - one in hopes of getting some peace and quiet to lull his restless mind.

It's a good idea, Gillsight thinks; probably an even better one, if he'd chosen a different night to execute his plan.

Loud noises jolt him from the light sleep he'd fallen into, a bright flash of light casting itself upon the den's opening. Another loud boom, and suddenly he's a young apprentice again, asking Clearsight and Smokethroat when the thunder would end - boomsticks, he'd learn later on, despite his fallen mentor and the deputy's efforts to distract him from learning such a truth. Had the twolegs made their return?

He jumps to his paws, eyes wide as he rushes out of the den. Claws unsheathed, Gillsight prepares himself for a battle, to have to attack someone. However, such preparations don't need to be made.

"Wh-What's h-happening...?" he asks, looking around. His clanmates seem fine, though they guide their gaze to the stars. "A-are we... A-are we under a-attack?" Another boom leaves Gillsight jumping back, his own gaze following his clanmates' upward as a flash of flaming color cascades downwards, then fades into embers. Fire, Petalnose mentions, striking his already pounding heart with more worry.

"Do... D-do we need to... to e-evacuate?" he stutters out, tail lashing behind him. Low water, strange loners, and now sky fire? Hadn't RiverClan had enough?
​

 

[hazecloud]

The day had been rather unassuming from the start. Rather monotonous, one could say. The day had rolled on like any other, rising with the pale light of the morning and winding down as it set. Patrols rotated, kittens played and tousled, queens laughed and chided. Nothing was out of place of the usual routine. Well, not outside the oncoming normal of loners traversing their lands upriver and the tide receding...

After a fulfilling day of tempting the waters for good luck and fishing out more twoleg junk, the warriors den had claimed the smoky she-cat for the evening. With fresh reeds and plush petals, it took little effort for Hazecloud to descend into a deep sleep. Though dreamless, the sudden crackling of noise and thunderous booms had shaken her. The warrior gasped, tearing from her nest to rush out into the clearing. Her gait was unsteady, drowsy, but her heart pounded in her chest telling her to run.

Heaving every breath, her gaze turned from her Clanmates to look up at the stars where the sound had come from. Another stream of light snapped through the sky and spread fiery tendrils out into the air. Then it ceased, disappearing into a smoky haze that floated with the wind.

"I don't... I think the plains will be fine." She didn't sound confident in her reassurance to Gillsight, though she was ready to believe Petalnose and Cindershade that it wasn't anything to panic over. Just... inconvenient noise to disturb their sleep. Foolish twolegs, did they not have their own nests to go to this late at night?​

 

[Snakeblink]

MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

Like the rest, Snakeblink initially jumps at the unholy noise, fur bristling as the sky bursts into flames. But though it whistles and crackles like wood splitting in a forest fire before each booming shock fit to shake Starclan loose, the strange spectacle leaves no singed fur or burning vegetation; only a faint acrid smell of bitter smoke carried from afar by the wind, and the lights.

Although his clanmates share worried mutters about the confounding situation, he finds himself… not relaxing, not exactly, but giving in to an uncharacteristic wide-eyed wonder. There’s not much Snakeblink can see at night: the moon, the stars, the occasional luminescence of eyes reflecting the aforementioned celestial bodies. But this twoleg magic lights up the sky brighter than anything he’s ever seen, in colors so vibrant they leave afterimages of themselves behind his eyelids. Though he jolts at every thundercrack of noise that rocks the heavens, he cannot help but wait for the next one and the burst of flames that follow it, flaring briefly before disappearing.

”I don’t know,” he wonders aloud in response to Crappiepatch’s question. Dreamily, he adds, ”But I think it’s beautiful.”
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——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely ​

ooc. information.

• 
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 42 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

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[cranberrypaw]

Cranberrypaw has never heard anything as loud as this, and she's heard some pretty loud monsters. When the first boom sounded, she jumped at least as high as a tree, or so she'd say if asked to tell the story later.

After the initial shock passes, she has to agree with Snakeblink. "Look at the colors!" She hasn't seen anything like this before, and it's positively mesmerizing. Every new sound makes her jump, and her fur is still puffed straight out, but she can ignore all that. The view is worth it.​

♡ BARBIE GIRL ♡