A False God | Hopeful Joiner

[Deus]

Deus looks around, worried at this point. He has no idea where he is, and everything just looks kind of…similar from where he is in the clearing. Say he is just paranoid, how would he get back? Green eyes dart from left to right as he tries to figure out where he came from and get back. Although he would never be weak enough to admit it, the thought of being lost scared him. In an ironic turn of events, the very day he decided to leave the dump was also the very day he began to wish for it back. He nearly laughed at the blatant hypocrisy, and it appeared the world almost did as well. However, it was not laughing with him, but AT him, an orange, bushy body exiting the foliage to come face to face with him, foam dribbling down its mouth in a rabid sort of snarl. A similarly scary rumble followed shortly after, but the tom couldn't tell whether it was from the animal's stomach or mouth. Quickly looking backward, all he had to run to was the cover of the bushes. In all likelihood, the fox knew every inch of this place better than he did, so realistically he had walked straight into a trap. At this point, things were looking desperate, and so was he. He had come prepared to die, but in one act he would forever hate himself for, a pathetic yelp came out of his mouth and echoed through the trees. "HELP!" he'd yell, shouting as loud as he could while still staring down the wild animal in front of him. How did it get this bad? he'd think, slightly peeved and confused. In fact, the events leading up to this supremely sordid affair had been extraordinary, which perhaps made this whole thing all the worse:

Far away from where a fluffy black tom is making his utterly obsequious debut, residing well inside the actual twolegplace among a jungle of neighborhoods is a dump, piled high with trash and otherwise broken things. Funnily enough, someone who may be the most broken of everything there calls it home. This entity is not some great monster, nor some disgraced hero, but simply a cat, living alone and uninterrupted within the waste. Deus, or so he remembers being named, is what some might call a bit of a hermit. His life is alright since nothing bad happens at all, but at the same time he is lonely. Some days it is hard to bear and other days it's not. The pain of experiencing nothing day after day continues to build, and this particular day turns out to be the tipping point. Early in the morning, before he usually gets up, the somewhat young tom is beset upon by a dream of quite a peculiar nature.

He is in a clearing at night, the sun seeming to have set maybe a minute before. After blinking tiredness out of his eyes, Deus next pinpoints an odd growling sound. A huge fox is standing in front of him, and Deus begins to shudder from the sheer presence of it, looking up to the beautiful stars to whisper a silent word of encouragement to himself When he finally tears his gaze away from the strangely mesmerizing sight to focus on the fight, another obvious thing becomes even clearer, that being he was not home. All around him were reeds and trees and gurgling rivers, nothing even close to the nigh-mountains of trash and hard concrete he's so used to seeing. Finally, in an odd turn of events, he recoils in horror as he realizes that by even being here he is defying a powerful inevitability. As though common procedure, he thinks of waking up in the fastest way possible, locating a sharp rock and taking a nosedive, but the Fox decided to get it done even quicker, tearing the poor tom into pieces with it's savage jaws. Finally, before everything fades to black and he is thrust out of the dream, a guttural voice speaks to him, tone almost fully certain.

"Perhaps we'll see each other again. No, I know we will. I'll never stop hunting you." he'd hear, becoming more and more certain with every word that this creature would kill him whether in the real world or the dream one. The code states to accept death with honor, and against this it seemed all but certain. Thusly, he decided to confront this apparition in the real world as well, and perhaps he could convince it to stand down.

Finally, after what seems like forever, he awakes with a start. Scrabbling to his feet, Deus locates the gate of his longtime "territory" and at last leaves, gasping as the freshest air he's ever breathed assaults his face like a sharp slap. It was a particularly windy day and for once the breeze satisfyingly brushed his fur instead of chilling him to the bone. After standing for a second in stunned silence, he'd head for the trees, crossing streets and dodging cars until he could get to the beginning of the forest. As he stared into the shady depths of the deep green wilderness, he could almost feel Death itself, as if the strongest of the Five were alive and glaring daggers at him.

Live your life to the fullest, and do anything to survive. Those two tenets combine into a word, lifetime. Those rules are ones I will never forget to honor, never forget to honor you two, He'd think with a slight smile. Along with the rest of his code, he would bring those two sayings into this latest adventure just as he had any endeavor before. However, as he would later come to believe, he had forgotten to honor someone else, the strongest Inevitability ever to grace the world. Death had been snubbed in his jovial appreciation of the forest and the life within it, and because Life and Death were so closely related, so well matched in the battle they constantly fought, they often mixed.

One such place, as the unsuspecting Deus would find out, was the forest. However, at the time he was simply too enraptured by the beauty of his surroundings to care. By the time he realized exactly how lost he was getting, it was midday. Another thing of note was that he made it to the clearing in his dream, but unlike the scenario he had been presented, there was an odd fishy smell he couldn't name. Thus, he waited, and waited, and waited some more. So, after all that, we find Deus back where he started, cornered and near-helpless. Well, sort of. After all, if the world burned down tomorrow, his code would keep him safe.

Accept death with honor, but if the odds of it are uncertain, do whatever you have to in order to survive.​

 

[CICADASTAR]

midday patrol had never been his favorite. it was hot, sweltering beneath his monochromatic coat, curls sleek and still dripping with riverwater. @Hazepaw lingers somewhere behind as he plods through the undergrowth, meadowland grass swaying gentle at his forelimbs when he first catches it — a staling scent, recent and strange. something unfamiliar, non - clan, non - kittypet from as far as he can tell. the reek of twoleg does not touch here, but his curled tail still lifts to still his patrol. ears incline and dutifully, the lanky beast follows it, head low and nostrils flared. hound of a thing, grim and shadowed ; intense blue eyes bear heavy dips, bruised beneath his waterline. he is tired, he is frustrated, he feels the crown of bristles rise at his neck the closer he comes. like a shark to blood, he keeps moving, chases the slow - moving trail of unfamiliar scent until — until —

a fox. the scent hits the nose heavy and thickens in his throat, a bleating cry sounding from somewhere within the meadows and.. of course. whatever trespassing fool had crossed his line was likely cornered, likely backing away from a rust - muzzled beast and — the urge to go home compels him. it was none of his business, truly ; if this cat had passed his borders, wandered his meadows, running into his fate was only inevitable. but a fox lingering on his territory was more pressing, and the king emerges from swaying cattail, glaring blue eyes fixing on.. as he had assumed, a stranger. not part of the ripple colony from as far as he can smell, " YOU. " hopefully catching the fox’s attention too, hopefully turning its mighty cranium to where he stands amidst the tall grass. how many times would this mistake be made? how much blood should touch this grass before his lands, his star - blessed stake, were left alone? he thinks of juniperfrost, of weaselclaw’s kit, of those who have crossed before — his jaw sets, hard icy eyes flirting towards the shadows for only a moment.. before the fox seems to adjust to turn, and he launches before it can, aiming to latch onto its throat from the side, claws extended to hook into its face and shoulder. ” GO, minnow-brain! before you’re fed to the foxes. “ it caws vitriolic from his maw, he’d not be able to take it alone, but he could buy the loner time until his patrol followed suit.

COLD & CRUEL LIKE WINDS ON THE SEA  ╱ INFORMATION ✟

• i.
  
• ★ ⋆ CICADASTAR −−−− FOUNDING LEADER OF RIVERCLAN. HOMOSEXUAL, MATED TO SMOKETHROAT. FIFTY MOONS, FATHER TO STARLIGHTKIT, CICADAKIT && BEEKIT. PENNED BY ANTLERS −−−−− ⁺₊✧
  
  
  he / him. tall, elegantly curled smoke tortoiseshell chimera with intense salt blue eyes. his structure sings a feral sort of hymnal, presenting an almost dangerous sort of beauty veiling what monstrosities lie beneath the ivory of his skull. jutting jawline and a squared chin, sunken cheeks drawing a shadow beneath high, sharp cheekbones with tall, angular ears settling high atop the flatter slope of his cranium. he is beautiful ; lucifer in the eyes of an envious god. for all his looks, his expression is lax, void — corpse - eyed and hollow until spoken to, sparking the undead to life. he is tall, lean, cut - glass pretty ; he smiles with too - many teeth, blackened frostbite pulling back his maw to bear canines setn beneath curling whiskers, pantomime skeletal. a predatory gracefulness from the lines that press the image of exhaustion beneath ice water hues to the slow, sure gait in which he walks, nameless strength poorly concealed within the hard lines of his physique. descending from a heritage of overtyped oriental shorthairs, cicadastar stands unnaturally tall amongst his peers, always holding himself with a tragic sort of grace ; poised, prim, and uncannily aware of how he appears.
  
  ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── smells like wet moss and meadowland thunderstorms.
  ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── notoriously paranoid and closed off, cicadastar will tend to lie, assume, and jump to conclusions whenever it suits him. any 'suspicious' ic actions he witnesses or hears about will have a strong effect, and will have ic consequences! if you're unsure of an interactions outcome, please feel free to send a dm! no character opinions represent my own.
  
  penned by antlers​
  
  
• " speech "​
  
  
  

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[Deus]

Deus observes the violent exchange, watching as the barbaric fox twists and struggles against the tom. It is obvious the rabid animal is in a bit of a bind, but what is similarly clear is that Deus' savior is in an increasingly sucky situation as the struggle continues. Slowly, a hypothetical reality dawns upon him, one that involves the big black tom losing and maybe even dying. Shortly after, a part of the code flashes in his mind, the one rule he was never frightened of. If someone young sacrifices themself for you, you are to immediately kill yourself and thank them in the halls of the underworld, he'd think, steeling himself.

He was fully prepared to do just what was ordained, but then another thought popped into his head. Life also states you must do WHATEVER it takes to survive. I presume avoiding scenarios where the other rule goes into effect counts as part of surviving. At that thought, he'd sigh, silently apologizing to Death for his cowardice. Then, turning to his savior, he'd bow his head before waiting for a gap and charging in to clumsily tackle their mutual rust colored foe. Looking up, he'd search for his newest acquaintance and levy an apologetic look "I'm sorry for undermining you. Defeat it and make it run, but don't kill this animal." he'd request, realistically accepting his (incredibly tentative) ally would do no such thing and he (Deus) would be probably struck by some sort of minor punishment such as an ailment for his failures.

Actually, the animal under him was delivering punishment enough, their small but razor sharp claws scratching into his soft underbelly and causing a staggering amount of pain. So much so he was forced to leap off at approximately the end of his prior sentence, blood spattering the grass below him. Luckily, the reduced oxygen the fox had been getting lowered the force of their strikes, and most of them looked worse than they actually were, as Deus would find out. He slumped over, satisfied with his efforts in setting the stage. Now it was up to whoever he was fighting alongside to finish the job, or so he thought as everything went black. As it turned out, one particular scratch was deep, and though the blood loss was not super terrible, having never experienced such a sensation sent him to the ground, unconscious.

Imagine that, dying trying to survive…I might be the worst follower of the Five this world has ever seen. Well, at least I'll be pious enough to accept my fate. We come from Death and return to him…This is inevitable. he'd think, contentedly closing his eyes.

 

[Jaypaw]

"Is that a FOX-!?" The black and blue apprentice screeched, rounding after Cicadastar when he bolted from their patrol out of delighted curiousity only to find herself met with instant regret in the form of orange and black fur.
Their leader throws himself against the beast, the loner falls and she can not help but stand back and watch in wide-eyed horror; no, not happening. Jaypaw wasn't going to risk her life for some fleabitten stranger and the mottled RiverClan tom had lives to spare - lives she only had one of and she was intending to keep it to herself. Who even was this guy-what even had he been blathering about before he went slit belly down into the earth. Undermining? He must know who their leader was, had he come to join? Well, if he didn't die of bloodloss he was probably going to be super disappointed because RiverClan rarely let anyone through its borders and certainly not some trespassing vagabond.
"Yeah, you get that fox Cicadastar! Give it the ole' one TWO!" Whatever that meant, she'd heard one of the older loner-born warriors say it once and it sounded pretty threatening. Her words of encouragement were all she had to offer.
​

 

[Petalnose]

Smell of fox and a stranger filled the previously wind of void. The patched lead warrior rose her head, following Cicadastar from behind. Fear was prevalent, announcing a fight to be present not too far along the way. Hostility immediately shot through her emotions, fur standing on end, head swiveling to search for source. She looked to see if @silverpaw was following as well, watching to see if there would be a reaction to the thick scent. "Fox. Stranger. Stay quiet for now." She signaled in a low tone, lowering her head from her tall frame to Silverpaw's height.

Being heroic was not in her mind such as her king. Nevertheless, there wasn't a choice in the matter of the situation they came upon. She just hoped the stranger would flee, not give their leader a headache to attend to a damsel in destress untop of a common threat that lurked around them. Cicadastar was already fighting the fox and Petalnose would not make a sound, simply following soot as if it was a silent command. She sprung to leap for it's back from behind, aiming to dig her claws deep into its skin and pierce her teeth near it's spine if she was successful. Her eyes pinned upon the stranger however, glaring with hostility and threat from the ever obvious cross of territory. It was a silent demand to flee as her leader shouted, unforgiving she still would be despite the threat that fell upon the tresspasser.

Then the stranger started making wishes and she gave more of a cold look. "We don't-.. take commands from an outsider! Do what our leader said!" She spat harshly through labored breaths upon her attempt of attack. The cheers of another apprentice was heard for her leader, though she only flickered her gaze over to see what her own apprentice was up to. In this situation, she hoped the young spirit backed out of it. She didn't want her hurt.

The stranger fell to the ground from his injuries, an annoyed growl rumbled throughout her body to the situation. She glanced over to her leader for his decision and commands.

What did he want to do? Saving him would only be adhering to his invasive decision upon setting foot upon their territory. But would Cicadastar show his softness once more?

// Apprentice tag to silverpaw

Tags​

 

[willowroot]

( ☾ ) it's supposed to be a simple patrol- take the apprentices out, mark the borders, report back to camp. now, as willowroot dashes after her patrol, she curses her luck. it has to be this patrol, right now, in the middle of the midday heat. it has to be right now some idiotic loner runs into a fox. "wagtailpaw, keep back," she orders, glancing briefly to see if @WAGTAILPAW is following before quickening once more to crash into the clearing behind cicadastar. the multihued tom charges right in, flying past the crumpled body of the loner, and there's a slight hesitation in willow's heart. the tomcat is clearly badly injured, unconscious and bleeding into the earth. her leader has been very strict about trespassers (she will withhold her own thoughts on the matter, in light of the current situation). he's not about to waste herbs on a stranger.

"we could at least make sure the idiot doesn't... die. just keep an eye on him from a distance? we don't need to bury more bodies." she'll call out to the river king- cicada can't fault her this, surely. digging a grave in this heat? for an unknown trespasser? ha, yeah, likely. the tomcat will live, and be sent away (and again she will withhold judgement, because she is no longer a lead.) with this quick hiss, she charges after petalnose, rounding towards the fox's legs. as cicadastar aims for the throat, and petalnose the spine, willow streaks forward underneath the fox's belly to hopefully knock it prone. she lashes out with claws and teeth, praying to the stars she won't be punished, as bone and lichen had been, for her suggestion. ​

( THE LIGHT YOU GAVE ME )

 

[CLOUDSPLASH]

"A fox?! WAHOO!"

The unusual battle cry resounds from the reeds, which rustle excitedly for a second before regurgitating a blue-streaked figure. The only thing Cloudsplash regrets about lagging behind the rest of the patrol is that she couldn't get first dibs on the fox. Oh, she'd been so curious about the little snail back there and how it was faring it in the midday heat, plus any irritation of her patrol members would've slipped off her back like water on a duck. Back to the present—Cicadastar, Petalnose, and Willowroot are already on top of the fox, dangling off of him like multicolored burrs. The visual alone is enough to stretch her smile wider as she scrambles past Jaypaw towards the ruddy beast, eager to paint her glinting teeth with its blood as well.

Her paw catches on something—grey, like a rock, but soft, unlike a rock—and she suddenly smacks into meadow floor. "Oof," she whimpers. Though her nose smarts a little from the impact, she's popped back onto her paws in no time. Curiosity yanks her gaze away from the fox-commotion and down to the trip hazard, which, no, who seems to have slept through the whole thing. She squints. No. There's a gash in his stony fur, darkening with each second they let his life force seep out. Injured. Dying, maybe. She glances at her patrol squad, then back to the tom. They seemed to have it handled; throwing herself into the fray might complicate whatever strategy they were developing. Besides, she has more interesting things at paw.

Incautiously, she reaches out to pat him on the cheek. "Hellooooo. Wake uppppp," she meows. Willowroot's yell finally makes its way into her brain, and she throws another glance over at the molly and her leader. "Maybe we can feed him to the fox!" she calls. A solution to the problem of burying bodies; her eager shout does no wonders for whether she's joking or not.

// she tripped over deus and is poking him!​