private A DOZEN CROWS AND THEN SOME [thistlepaw]

[SCORCHSTAR]

༄༄ The day is mild, for the dead of winter, and Scorchstar has seen fit to take her dark-pointed nephew out for a walk across the territory. She'd gotten his mentor's permission, although as leader she isn't certain she'd needed it, and has ended up padding along peacefully beside the younger WindClanner, falling into easy conversation. "We came back through Highstones, but we didn't all return together," she explains, knee-deep in her retelling of the journey and the obstacles they had all faced. "One of the ThunderClanners was caught by dogs, and she gained an injury just like your sister's." She leaves the implication unspoken—that Bunnypaw may never heal fully, but ThunderClan's medicine cat may know what to do to help her. Stormfeather still lives, as far as Scorchstar is aware. What kind of place has the girl found for herself in the forest with such a debilitating injury, the calico wonders… and what kind of niche could Bunnypaw carve out for herself in the moorland? As she's opening her mouth to speak again, she spots something move out of the corner of her eye. Golden eyes narrow, quickly recognizing the dark shape that shifts beside the apprentice's paw.

Snakes are uncommon during the winter, but not impossible to find. While other animals hibernate, making themselves still and silent for months on end, reptiles must still find food every so often. To stumble upon an adder, with those telltale zig-zagging stripes and red eyes, is always a risk. And disrupted from its rest by heavy footfalls nearby It's hiding spot in the dry grass, the snake is even more dangerous than it would normally be. Scorchstar does not hesitate to shove her shoulder against her nephew's, attempting to push him farther away from the snake as it coils into striking position. "Get back!" She cries out, for once her voice exhibiting the true depths of her panic. A single bite from an adder could kill a cat within minutes—to lose Thistlepaw in such a way, so soon after losing Frostwind, would destroy her. She had promised Rattleheart to look after these kits, to ensure they live long and full lives under a peaceful and safe WindClan, and she has already failed Bunnypaw. She cannot fail Thistlepaw as well.

OF THE FOLKLORE AND THE FABLES ☽♰☾ SHE’S THE TALLEST TALE OF ALL

• ooc: @THISTLEPAW !
• 
• SCORCHSTAR ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ she/they, leader of windclan, tunneler
  ༄ small, slim flame-streaked calico with fiery golden eyes. stern and serious, ferociously protective of her clanmates.
  ༄ mate to bluepool ; sibling to rattleheart & rabbitclaw
  ༄ mentor to bilberrypaw & splinterpaw
  ༄ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
  ༄ penned by foxlore

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[THISTLEPAW !]

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For a day during Leafbare, it is rather nice out. Clouds don't cover the sky as they had the previous days, and the sun shines brightly above - even if the warmth it offers isn't quite like Greenleaf's. He walks beside Scorchstar, nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, his ears attentive both to her retelling of the Journey and to prey or predators. One of the ThunderClanners was caught by dogs, and she gained an injury just like your sister's. She tells him and - oh - he tenses. "Is the ThunderClanner still alive?" He tentatively asks, because that's all that matters to him; if Bunnypaw ended up dying due to this injury, he would never forgive himself. The answer he would never get.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees it, too. But Scorchstar is far faster to react, far faster to recognize what it is and the danger it poses. Thistlepaw had never seen an adder before to be able to tell it apart from any other snake; but here it is, hidden by grass and readying itself to lunge at them. His claws slide out, ready to swipe at the reptile before it sinks its fangs into either of them, but his aunt is more experienced than he is - this bravado would only get him killed.

He is shoved out of the way and in that split-second it takes for him to recover his footing, the snake jumps towards the tortoiseshell, and bites. The scream he lets out is similar to the one of a scared kitten, pathetically so. Several heartbeats pass before he's striking the adder himself, trying to make it let go before it can do too much damage to his aunt. He claws at its hide franctically until it drops to the ground stunned and bleeding - he doesn't check to see if it has died. "Mo - mom — Scorchstar — shit." The seal-point rasps, panicked, searching the leader's gaze. "Are - are you okay? Can you walk? We need to - to get back to camp. Cottonsprig - Cottonsprig will know what to do." Right? Should he carry Scorchstar? It might be faster and better than having her lean on him to move.

𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 *:･ﾟ✧ 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

• ooc. —
  
• 
  

  LH Seal-point with low white​

  
• 
  
  
  THISTLEPAW he / him apprentice of windclan
  son of Rattleheart x Venomstrike, brother to Bunnypaw, Crunchykit, Breezepaw and Splinterpaw.
  Lissom seal-point prickly-furred feline with white markings on his face, chest, belly, paws and tail. His tail is long and has a tufted tip.
  "speech" thoughts

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[SCORCHSTAR]

༄༄ The leader knows what she is doing when she pushes Thistlepaw aside, away from the snake's deadly presence. When she feels the cutting of tender flesh, fangs sliding easily into her foreleg, Scorchstar does not flinch. She hears Thistlepaw cry out, but layered with his own voice is another in her ears. A serene voice, featherlight with a softness befitting a StarClan cat. "When the time comes that sacrifice is your only choice... You may not accept it, but you will know it." Lambcurl was correct in half of it, at least. She knows it. She understands it. Yet… she accepts it, indeed. She would give her life for Thistlepaw, for any of Rattleheart's kits, for any of her clanmates. She would give multiple of her lives—she would give them all. And Thistlepaw, as he calls her mom for a fleeting moment before correcting himself, is worth dying for. He beats the snake until it lets go, bleeding from wounds inflicted by razor-sharp claws, and it stills. Whether it is dead is still to be determined, but they do not have time to check.

Her nephew asks her, seeming panicked, if she can walk. "I'm fine," she insists, shaking her head. Surely the effects of the adder's venom will begin to set in soon, but her head is still clear, breath still steady as the calico makes to turn back in the direction of camp. "I will… be fine. I can walk on my own." They need to hurry back, however; there is only a small amount of time before she collapses, and Cottonsprig is her only hope for survival. Of course, Scorchstar can live again past death, but having all nine lives is an asset to WindClan. To have a leader without their full lives would put them at a disadvantage; it could make them appear weak. "Let's hurry."

OF THE FOLKLORE AND THE FABLES ☽♰☾ SHE’S THE TALLEST TALE OF ALL

• ooc: —
• 
• SCORCHSTAR ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ she/they, leader of windclan, tunneler
  ༄ small, slim flame-streaked calico with fiery golden eyes. stern and serious, ferociously protective of her clanmates.
  ༄ mate to bluepool ; sibling to rattleheart & rabbitclaw
  ༄ mentor to bilberrypaw & splinterpaw
  ༄ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
  ༄ penned by foxlore

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