camp a sad shrinking violet .. early return?

[lilacfur]

As the three of them disappeared into the foggy depths of the marsh Lilacfur prayed Siltcloud had followed her suggestion and left before she was seen. The rosette hadn't passed by her patrol as she led the kittens toward camp, they would have tried to find her after she didn't come back from following her lead. If they found her... she was as good as dead in her condition.

"Your names are @Sycamorekit! and @marblekit. Very strong." The Lead Warrior stated awkwardly after a long stretch of silence, not sure what to say. They were quiet, probably scared and unsure of the new territory they've been thrusted into. "You have a big family in ShadowClan, more than just me and my sister. You have lots of cousins, and my brothers." Lilacfur was always the poised and proper little sister, there wasn't a rule she ever broke in her life. Would this count? She must be committing several social crimes already. She's scared of what their reactions may be when they return. Kittens she didn't even know about, that were mothered from an accomplice to her brothers killer.

They will protect them. She reassured herself as they parted through the bramble entrance.

Her head swung from every direction, conflicted with where to bring them first. The nursery would be warm and safest, she could appeal to Needledrift for taking them in and get them fed inside. Starlingheart would need to see them, too. They might have other ailments on top of being so thin, they could be weakened by something more. But Chilledstar- they needed to know, too.

"Ah, um... come here." She flicked her tail to gesture they follow her as she marched them through the clearing and in front of the fresh-kill pile. "Siltcloud said you were eating prey, now? Um, here, this frog looks pretty good to share." She took a leg between her teeth and dragged it in front of the pair, waiting for them to dig in. Unsure if their teeth could actually break through it. "You'll eat frogs and toads pretty often here, or rats. What do you think?"

// lilacfur has returned with some kittens! one is the spitting image of siltcloud, and the other a clear mix of her and lilac
// no need to wait for the kittens to respond, either! interrogation can begin >)​

[ i need the clouds to cover me ]​

 

[Sycamorepaw!]

[ ༻ 𐃉 ༺ ] Truth be told, Sycamorekit was scared. Not only scared, confused, worried and all sorts of other emotions. Why hadn't their mom, Siltcloud come with them? Was she joining later? And the strange wafting scents and...and so many eyes on his tiny scrap of fur. Quickly he would stand in front of Marblekit in a protective manner, green eyes wild with fear. Lilacfur, the one who brought them here was trying to ease the situation but it didn't. She even went so far as to offer a frog which Sycamorekit would push with ever so ease to his sister, who had (in his mind) needed it more.

"Why can't she come?!" he shrieked, his tiny voice shrilled. He knew Siltcloud told them not to make a fuss, to be good little kits but... but, he couldn't leave her. She was sick, his mom needed him, why would she just let his other mommy just take them. His fur fluffed up, a bit gaze frantically upon those who seemed to lie on them, some filled with these looks that Sycamorekit couldn't understand. "Mommy! Who are they? Is she coming back? What do you mean by big family? I wanna go home!" he cried out. Not realizing that this was home now.

Sycamorekit felt his tiny heart pounding. At first, walking along with Lilacfur was nice, it had been fun... to see all the trees and feel the ooz of mud between his paws and then.. and then they had gotten to camp, and the overwhelming scent of strangers and unknown faces did not settle well with him. How could he eat when several eyes of strangers were on him? "Take us home now! Please, Mommy" he cried still moving to stay in front of Marblekit in a protective manner, his gaze dancing across the strange faces in camp. Causing a scene that Lilacfur perhaps was trying to avoid.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── So breakable unbreakable ──┐‎

• 
  "speak""Thoughts"
  
• 
  Sycamorekit 𐃉 He,She, They, rouge kitten , 1 moons.
  ⭃ LH Rosetted Cinnamon Tabby with low white and green eyes, has an extra set of toes
  ⭃ Lilacfur x Siltcloud
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted (ask first) / / underline and tag when attacking
  ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by Ryn ↛ @/Rynnaro on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[fleabounce]

There is an undeniable worry that lances through Fleabounce’s heart. It grows in size with every step-step-hop she takes closer to the freshkill pile. It grows until, as Fleabounce comes before Lilacfur, her haunches are bristled and the softer wrinkles on her face have further creased. She opens her mouth three times before she actually speaks:

What in StarClan’s name are you thinking? she doesn’t say.

Will they truly be safe here? she doesn’t say.

You took a foolish risk, she doesn’t say.

“Are you certain they are eating prey?” Fleabounce asks—she leans closer to Lilacfur as if she intended to whisper the question to her but had forgotten to lower her own placid voice. The scolding Lilacfur is to face is doubtlessly on the immediate horizon—there is no reason for Fleabounce to contribute when such small ears are listening. “It will be warmer in the nursery. They can eat where it is warmer and…” Now, she does remember to lower her voice—her green eyes flick to the scrawny kittens, and then back to Lilacfur, no less intense in her scrutiny, “Do you intend for them to stay, or are they to be sent away after they are fed? I need to know what to say.”​

SHADOWCLAN WARRIOR ▫ CHOCOLATE TORTOISESHELL WITH AN UNUSUALLY SHORT TAIL

LOW HEARING ▫ 84 MOONS ▫ TAGS​

■■■■■​

 

[Starlingheart]

Today is just like any other. Starlingheart wakes just before dawn, rolling over in her nest of soft moss and pine and reaching up with one paw to touch an eye that still refused to open, too clotted by scar tissue and damage rended by claws to ever hope to have use of it again. She takes a deep breath, reminds herself that she is here and alive and that these are the small miracles she must be thankful for. That Flintpaw and Magpiepaw were still alright, that her clan was safe. At least for another day. And like any other day she gets up and she gets right to work. There is comfort in the routine, in going to the fresh kill pile and picking out something small. A shrew or a toad perhaps, never more than what she could eat in a couple of swift bites. Then she looks at her herb stock, counts what they have, makes a mental note of what they would need when her and her apprentice went out with a warrior later on in the day.

Out. The marshes still were not safe, not when Granitepelt and Siltcloud and stars knew what else lurked around every corner. It is difficult to leave the relative safety of the camp but she cannot make Magpiepaw go out alone every single time. She had to be brave. For him, for them. With her mental notes in mind she makes for the entrance of her den and steps out into the sunlight, single eye scanning the camp and searching for a warrior or two who was available to accompany them on their excursion.

She stops short when she sees them, though. There, standing in the center of camp was her sister with two kits. One of which looked just like a carbon copy of Siltcloud. Her breath catches in her throat, as utterly caught off guard as she is. It feels like she had just taken a kick to the chest. She forces herself to recover though, forces her reluctant legs to walk forward, but she can feel anxiety pulsing through her heart with every step that draws her closer and closer to these kits. Kits that she does not even have to guess for a second the parentage of.

"Hello you two" she greets in a quiet voice, she does not meet her sisters gaze and instead allows Fleabounce to do the questioning while she looks over the two young cats before her. "L-look how thin you little ones are. Are you hungry?" who they looked like doesn’t matter. She repeats it over and over again in her head, a mantra she is desperate to drum into her subconscious. Her own kit held a resemblance to her father, after all but that did not mean that Flintpaw was anything like him. These kits could be raised to be good, to be noble ShadowClanners. Of that she is certain.

( ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ) fly me up on a silver wing

• 
  
  
• 
  STARLINGHEART SHADOWCLAN MEDICINE CAT; SHE / HER ; SISTER TO PITCHSTAR, CHITTERTONGUE, NIGHTSWARM, SKUNKTAIL, AND LILACFUR. MOTHER TO NETTLEPAW, FLINTPAW AND GHOSTPAW.
  

  A skinny she cat with short black and white fur littered with scars and one singular green eye.

  ✦ Easy in battle + has little to no formal battle training
  

​

 

[mottlefox]

Stars, she's the spitting image of Siltcloud ... Mottlefox's ears fold back against their head at the sight of the kits that cling close to Lilacfur as she returns to camp, but there's no hostility to be found in his expression. Only a profound sadness. That emotion is reflected in the look they shoot Lilacfur, tinged with jealousy; even though Siltcloud had been exiled, it would be stupid of the sepia to deny that he had cradled his own gentle feelings for the molly. To bring kits back to camp in the middle of leafbare, when ShadowClan is already going hungry ... StarClan above, she does not envy the lead warrior right now.

Much like Fleabounce, he knows that the warrior will face some form of punishment soon. He will not contribute to ostracising Lilacfur. Instead, much like Starlingheart, he focuses on the little kittens; barely more than blobs and still so close to apprenticeship already. Which of their mothers would they turn out to be?

"Hey, kits!" The odd-eyed warrior crouches playfully at a safe distance, bringing himself to their level but far enough away that he wouldn't startle them. A light purr rumbles in his throat, though it catches. "Nice to meet you both, I'm Mottlefox. I'm one of your ma's friends."​

 

[smogstar]

Calling into question Lilacfur's ill-advised life choices will happen, stars know it fair and true, yet it must be deferred to a later, more opportune moment. Paramount to a clan's consolidated health is the welfare of those who comprise it, and the time being held circumstances not entirely bargained for. Smogmaw was utterly uninformed on the connection Siltcloud had conceived with the lead warrior, let alone their pretension of courtship, yet the little ones' outward aspects made it patently obvious something had happened between the two.

That's all tangent, anyhow. The kits are here, and ShadowClan will not upend any families without good reason—even if bloodlines were becoming increasingly tangled with every moon.

One kit, christened as Sycamorekit, has fully submerged himself in a conniption fit. His high-pitched mewls grate on the deputy's ears, flattening them, and sour his expression more than need be. Smogmaw draws forth a sharp sigh then, and begrudgingly, he continues on towards the brink of camp. It is not in a kit's conduct to concern themselves with first impressions; and nor is it the deputy's to situate judgement on children fresh from the womb. For what is there to evaluate from infants with little to no sense about them?

The tom detours his trajectory by only a single step. He arcs around Starlingheart and Fleabounce both, instead laying his focus squarely on the wee ones' mother. Raw neutrality was etched into every wrinkle, every indent in his expression as he regarded her. That these kits were a liability at best should go without saying, seeing how their exiled parent has traipsed into their lands over matters far more trivial than one's own offspring.

"Lilacfur," he begins. Optimistically, Marblekit and her choleric littermate remained distracted by his clanmates' coddling. "This is... this-" The tabby loathes to put it to voice. It isn't good is what it is. He conveys it with a downcast shake of his head. "By birthright, they are kits of this clan, and will be looked after and protected as such."

Shortly thereafter, his vision shifts towards the little ones themselves, and for the first time, the deputy addresses them. "Sycamorekit, Marblekit, welcome to ShadowClan."

On a more morbid note: if Chilledstar's council were to reconsider drawing Siltcloud into an ambush with bait... well, let's leave it at that.​

 

[Frostbite]

Much is on his mind lately as he adjusts to having a mate. He's trying to open his heart, telling himself it's okay to love again. He sat himself in a quiet corner of camp as he tried to train himself into it. He wishes his past self hadn't closed himself off from others, it's making it difficult for him now.

Fortunately, a distraction appears.

Voices of kits he doesn't recognize reach his ears and he looks towards the growing crowd. Curious, he rises to join them. Were kits abandoned on their territory again? It wouldn't be the first time. What he sees however, makes him stop and tense.

Not just any kits are brought home today, it seems.

One looks just like Siltcloud after all. With Siltcloud and Lilacfur's relationship in mind and the loud kitten calling Lilacfur mommy and asking about another molly who couldn't come with them, it's easy to put the pieces together.

His mind erupts in ugly, smug laughter. It's hysterical, yet his expression does not show it as he looks at the kits with an intensity that could be considered intimidating.

All that talk of how awful this clan was and she came crawling back to give her kits to them. It was hilariously rich. This is a victory for Shadowclan. Siltcloud tried to take their children and succeeded in one instance..... And now they are taking hers. He hopes it hurts. Hopes she loves them. Hopes the pain of giving them up causes her pain for moons to come.

He'll make sure they grow to hate her, too. Tell her kits her crimes and who she really is. This isn't the method of revenge he envisioned, but it's one that could be so, so satisfying if it works.

But for now, these kits need to eat and rest.

"Yes, welcome. You're both... So thin." He says, expression softening and looking them over. Poor things look like skin and bones... They need food immediately. "You'll feel better soon, we'll make sure you're safe and fed."

He hopes Siltcloud is crying right now... Assuming she even cares for her kits.​

 

[MARBLEPAW]

Her pelt drifts around her skinny body like a pale moonlit cloud. Every shadow that moves in the tangled mire receives a hiss that scatters like sparks from flame in its direction. She’d never been scared in Twolegplace—it’d been big, and cold, and empty, but it’d been home, and this place… this place is scary in a way she cannot name. The ground squishes under her paws when she walks. Water pools, algae-crowned, along well-trodden paths. The scent of pine is cloying, itchy, in her nostrils. And her heart—her heart, it hurts, it hurts so bad, because Siltcloud isn’t here, and she’s never left them alone before.

She supposes they’re not alone—they’re with Lilacfur. The fabled other mommy, hardworking she-cat of the mythical ShadowClan. She’s taking them there now, and truthfully, while she wants to spit and cry and hiccup like Sycamorekit, she’s too tired. The journey has drained what’s left of her—and the tears that leak from her eyes seem to sap what’s left inside of her. She stumbles almost blindly behind her brother and Lilacfur. Your names are Sycamorekit and Marblekit, Lilacfur states, tells them their names are strong. Marblekit only half-hears her. Her belly begins to cramp as Lilacfur tells them about their new family, cousins and uncles.

Soon, they emerge through camp’s protective barrier. The sounds, scents, and sights of so many cats in one place cause Marblekit to puff up again. She hisses at the first cat to approach, brown with ginger-tipped paws, but is utterly distracted from her discomfort when Lilacfur pulls a bit of meat toward them and drops it near their feet. You’ll eat frogs and toads pretty often here, or rats. What do you think? She sniffs it warily, then creeps forward. She knows how to eat fresh-kill, but she’s never seen a frog before. Its flesh is bumpy and strange under her tongue. She crunches uncertainly into the thickest part of its leg, and murky warmth floods her mouth. She tears, chews, swallows. It sits like a stone in her stomach. “Want a mouse,” she mumbles, but she takes another cautious bite.

Every cat who approaches initially earns a startled hiss from Marblekit. Her little lips pull back from her teeth, stretching into the gaunt corners of her pale face. Cats talk to her and Sycamorekit—tell them welcome to ShadowClan, try to comfort them. She is not comforted… but she is getting full, and it’s making her sleepy. She wanders close to her littermate, brushing her flank against his, seeking the only familiar thing in this place. His scent makes her think of Siltcloud—and her eyes water.

“Where’s my—where’s my other mommy,” she sniffles… it’s quiet and pale in comparison to Sycamorekit’s pleas.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Marblekit, she/they w/ feminine and non-gendered terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 1 moon old, ages realistically on the 1st.
  — mentored by n/a ; mentoring n/a ; previously mentored n/a
  — shadowclan kit, formerly a rogue. siltcloud x lilacfur, gen 3.
  — currently mated to n/a.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh fawn tabby with dull green eyes. bossy, brazen, outgoing, conniving, mischievous, skeptical, spiteful.
  
  

​

 

[pipitclaw !!]

Tactless and full of something he calls 'spirit', the chimera does not simper to these kittens like they are tiny, breakable things. Pipitclaw cannot say they have that luxury, clearly, based on the way small ribs show through their fur, their cheeks gaunt with hunger that is not new to them by any means. They have questions, they are frightened.

So what?

"Keeping secrets from me still," he asks, offering Lilacfur a pointed glare. She'd failed to mention her little... love affair in all the time they'd spent together. Had been more than willing to air her litter-mate's horrendous history of affection for Granitepelt. Frustration doesn't begin to describe the rippling discomfort that sits under his pelt from where he stands beside Mottlefox. His friend is a far more noble soul than he is... coddling those babes as if there weren't tens of pairs of eyes willing to do the same damn thing.

Why was no one questioning Lilacfur?

His claws itch for release, to get rid of this pent up disgust that seeped from every angle. It was one thing for Skunktail to go ahead with a new boyfriend or whatever, completely fine if his family grew in measured, careful steps but this? What about this said measured? What about this said wanted?

"You've got a lot of nerve," he huffs, barely restraining his temper to a low boil rather than the kit-like tantrum that festered under the surface. He doesn't get to hold onto that peace for very long- it escapes him like kindling going up in flames the moment Smogmaw appears. He is so cordial and welcoming and it drives Pipitclaw to furious blaze in an instant. Birthright? What hypocritical shit was that?!

He'd spent months with his brothers paraded around like idiots because they were too grown up to claim that same thing? Like they were not ready to fight and feed and defend from day one unlike these burdens, these barely more than scraps of fur? "Oh, go choke on it Smogmaw," he hisses, words flying from his mouth without a second to recognize he's saying them.

"Either you're the most insincere rat to walk these territories or you're just a pathetic hypocrite." His tail twitches in agitation, gritting his teeth to hold back his tongue about as successfully as a net with a huge hole in it. "Totally fine when your precious lead warrior brings home a bunch of strays but stars forbid Skunktail's children show up instead! At least my paws are capable of feeding someone else... What a bunch of-..."

A growl tears at his throat and the heat under his fur speaks to his humiliation- what a joke. They make jabs at him, a full grown warrior that can do anything they can do, if not better and then start groveling over some... some stupid kittens instead?! He doesn't bother to wait for that slimy deputy to respond, aware of the close comfort of his claws in the dirt and how easy it would be to just lunge, to make contact if it might make him feel a little better, might make the burning die down.

Turning to his aunt with a blazing anger, his muzzle twitches in a snarl for a brief second of jagged teeth before the tom storms off all together, hackles raised and too impatient to 'ask politely' for some company. Rules be damned. Since clearly they already were.

// in and out . all ic onions im so sorry​

 

[FERNDANCE]

Ferndance poked her head up from where she was sitting, the mess clinging to her fur half-cleared and stubborn. She blinked fervently as two little creatures waddled into camp, one she had to do a double-take with, the other that looked like some strange mix. It didn't take a genius to figure out their origins, the cinnamon tabby's heart grew tight as she realised how lucky she'd been that Pikesplash's babies looked nothing like him. She stood up and drifted closer, ears pricked nosily, expression veering between caution and confusion. Other ShadowClanners spoke, the hostility absent from their voices, apart from Pipitclaw, whose venom was so potent that she had to take a step back and reconsider her next actions. She didn't agree with him entirely, but nature's equivalent of a broken clock struck right twice a day, and the snarling chimera raised a good point. She'd have torn into Skunktail had she been there to see his children join, they'd been born in a leafbare, vulnerable, alone. The same could be said for Siltcloud's kittens, Lilacfur's kittens, leaving them abandoned with a traitor mother for even a moon was unusually cruel. 'They barely look old enough to try this food... Wait... but if they're less than a few moons... then that means...'

"The kittens have a place here..." she murmured to Smogmaw, soft, approving, despite her tail lashing with an acrid bitterness. "But what of their mother?" It seemed so unfair, she had been a devil for having kittens, a foul beast bound to the confounds of the camp, yet Lilacfur could give Needledrift more mouths to feed and be mated to traitors and no one gave her a second glance. The cinnamon tabby could find joy in the most minute places, another context would've had Ferndance grinning at the idea that a Lead Warrior had been awfully familiar with a traitor, but casting her gaze upon Lilacfur, she could only feel fury - she could hardly afford to be as selfish as she'd once been when she had her own children's safety to consider. The warrior stepped forwards, looking between the kittens and the mother. She didn't feel bad about separating them, not when Marblekit and Sycamorekit seemed utterly uninterested in Lilacfur as a parent. "This is a hurtful secret you've been keeping. You do realise you betrayed ShadowClan for Siltcloud, don't you? I thought you'd have higher standards." If she was going to do something as silly as having kittens with a traitor, she'd hoped it'd at least been a pretty traitor, but an inner ugliness marred any value Ferndance could've seen in the exiles.



​

 

[lilacfur]

The Clan arrives to flock around the three of them and in the moment she witnesses Sycamorekit's fearful outburst she realized she hadn't even considered how overwhelming this would be for them. Twolegplace must have felt rather empty in comparison to this, tens of cats lingering about. Watching, approaching, all smelling strange and different from where they just were. In all her own confliction of feelings towards Siltcloud she doesn't even think of how they would miss her.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay, Sycamorekit!" Lilacfur tried to gently reassure the tomkit, her ears pinned back as the other was more frightful in hissing at those that came too close. This was going wrong- all wrong and she hadn't expected them to reject their new home so quickly. Where they were had no food, no shelter, wasn't this better?

Not when it lacked one thing- Siltcloud.

"I have taken you home, ShadowClan is where you'll stay fed and warm." She dodged their questions regarding their other mother, she isn't sure what she should tell them right now. Siltcloud had lied. said she would be back soon, does she continue that lie? She knew it wouldn't do any good for them, they should be told the truth. At a better time.

Her gaze flickered between her arriving Clanmates and she awkwardly shrugged to her former mentor. "I think so? Their mother said so, and they have a taste for it." Should she be chewing this for them?

She's pointedly aware of Starlingheart avoiding her eyes and Mottlefox's stare sent her heart sinking to her stomach, but nothing compared to the weight of hearing Smogmaw say her name. Her eyes shift to meet his burnt honeyed stare, hardened, ready to defend her actions and these kits. His disapproval is unspoken but not hidden to her, and she squared her shoulders in her own nonverbal response. I know. If she had her choice, cruelly, these kittens would never have been born from a traitor. But they were, and she could not change that.

Pipitclaw's anger is not something she expects, least of all. Her nephew stormed foward with accusations, keeping secrets and she's speechless. There is no possible way he is truly this angry with her? "This isn't a secret-" She began only to stop herself. Sycamorekit and Marblekit didn't deserve to have their first moments in ShadowClan squandered by arguing. "We will talk about this later." And her voice is stern, it's an order. While she said nothing about his snappish behavior toward the deputy she does look at the tabby with her own suspicion. That was a battle to fight another day.

Ferndance is no help, either. For all her high and mighty attitude of being a good mother she gave little care for how inappropriate she behaved in front of the lead warriors. Lilacfur forced her fur to lie flat though her tail lashed in her annoyance. She kept her chin up high, looking down at the cinnamon she-cat with unmasked disdain.

"You have no right to speak to your lead warrior that way." Least of all one that couldn't handle the title responsibly. "My kittens are no secret, and you have no authority to question my loyalty. I will answer to Chilledstar, and you will keep your maw shut."

She has no time for these games. Whatever Ferndance is trying to plot would crumble beneath itself. Lilacfur knew her Clan, herself well enough to foresee her actions understood. ​

[ i need the clouds to cover me ]​

 

[fleabounce]

Lilacfur doesn’t allow herself to get overwhelmed or overly emotional—she squares herself into authority, and Fleabounce is proud enough that, however briefly, it washes away the worry that had taken her before. Lilacfur could handle this as long as she could keep her head afloat. Fleabounce turns at Lilacfur’s hip; no longer part of the accusing crowd but not standing between Lilacfur and the onlookers.

“What a miracle it is for new kits to arrive at ShadowClan,” There is a hard edge to her otherwise flat tone—she welds maternal disappointment as easily as she welds her own teeth, “And how fortunate we are that they may be raised beneath our positive influence. ShadowClan grows stronger with these precious lives. I know I am grateful to Lilacfur, for giving these kits an opportunity to grow up here and contribute to ShadowClan.” She softens as she finishes—finds herself looking at the kits for the first time as kits and not a sudden problem in need of immediate attention.

…There is truly no denying their parentage.

Fleabounce doesn’t frown. She very carefully doesn’t frown. The smile that comes to her is serene as she addresses the kittens—there isn’t space for anything else, “I understand that this is hectic, and I apologize for those who have…conducted themselves in ways to make this more confusing. Do not worry about missing your mother—she’ll be joining you in the nursery shortly.”

She has leaned low to talk to the kits, and needs to glance upwards to give Lilacfur an apologetic look—her words might ease their cries for now, but it is doubtless that they will be more upset when they find that Fleabounce was referring to Lilacfur rather than Siltcloud. The cost of a smoother present—with luck, their age will allow them to remember the feeling of comfort rather than the exact words.​

SHADOWCLAN WARRIOR ▫ CHOCOLATE TORTOISESHELL WITH AN UNUSUALLY SHORT TAIL

LOW HEARING ▫ 84 MOONS ▫ TAGS​

■■■■■​

 

[smogstar]

Disorder puts his surroundings in a chokehold, clotting his lungs with this flustered miasma so each breath is harder, wheezier than the last. Only under his guidance does chaos hold some manner of appeal to the deputy, and it is patently clear by this point into the morning that his influence and authority are left well wanting. Entropy reigns true; not even level-headed Frostbite manages to impose order where it is so direly needed, and Smogmaw resigns himself to the misery, wishing for its prompt departure.

A faux pas on his end, hoping peace will somehow naturally prevail. For this is ShadowClan, and peace hasn't set a single pawstep upon these sodden grounds in moons. It is all strife here, following circular, interlocking patterns. And sure enough, the unravelling is only hastened as others enter the fray.

Like a flower following the sun, the grey tabby angles his muzzle toward wee Pipitclaw's eruption, pointed ears quirking in tandem. Withering gaze sharpens to a keen point onto the chimera's visage. Pinprick pupils cut with contemptuous ease, picking apart naivety from irrationality from arrogance. All were rife and plentiful within his clanmate's mewls. Though, at the forefront of his mind lies bewilderment in its purest form—where Pipitclaw obtained such gall and conceit, and how he could fit it all inside his tiny head without bursting at the seams, was well beyond the tabby's understanding.

ShadowClan took in Skunktail's brood premised on birthright, and granted the three warriorhood with minimal training involved. The leniency given to them is unique in extent and scope. For Pipitclaw to presume anyone else has some nerve reflects on an ego so inflated and grandiose that Smogmaw struggles to see past the clouds.

How he'd love to cling to apathy and disregard alone. He could very well shrug off the ill-founded declarations entirely, and it'd be doing the insolent little fool a favour. On the other paw, there is utterly no justification behind the level of mindlessness that Pipitclaw presents so effortlessly. One cannot address their clanmates rampant and gross dismissiveness, let alone their deputy. Self-centeredness aside, Pipitclaw is ignorant. Ignorant to the privilege granted to him and his kin, ignorant to the hardships of others, ignorant to his place within ShadowClan. How could he expect to integrate into this new community if he had no intent on comprehending how it functioned?

Fortunately, to the eyes and ears of all around, Pipitclaw withdraws, and Smogmaw's critical sneer softens into a neutral line. Though it frustrates him how Lilacfur doesn't chastise impudence until she's directly affected, he knows better than to dwell on what's trivial in pressing circumstances like this. Instead, the tom finds means to gain purchase onto the conversation once more, and stumbles upon a segue to resolve it once and for all.

"Betrayed?" Mud-coloured eyes move owl-like onto the former lead warrior, a crevice taking shape in his creasing forehead. The deputy steps forwards, standing not directly alongside Lilacfur, but close enough to embolden her authority. "Handle heavy claims with care, Ferndance, 'nless you're wanting a private one-on-one with your deputy or leader. Enough of that."

For a fleeting moment, the misty-furred lead warrior captures Smogmaw's regard. She is a comrade in clan, but also in her role as a parent; and despite ShadowClan's many imperfections, it will never place its parents in compromising predicaments. The two kits nearby, cinnamon-toned and fawn-coloured, will find a save haven in this clan's mires and swamps. "Fleabounce speaks true," he declares, then, "ShadowClan will grow stronger with these kits, and let there be no question about it."

Never is a ruling so simple. Accompanying the day's events and aftermath are a firm talking-to for both Pipitclaw and Lilacfur, though the going-ons from moments ago have slightly eased his misgivings towards the latter. He is still concerned over Siltcloud, and largely so—howbeit, his primary concern lies in the here and the now, and ensuring the safety of all is upheld.

// ic opinions, as always ı=|:^] ​

 

[ONYXPAW]

I WISH YOU COULD SEE THE WICKED TRUTH — Generally, Onyxpaw was used to camp being busy and sort of loud during the most busy times of the day. Patrols were often going in and out, warriors were chattering away with each other, apprentices - besides her - were gossiping with each other over things like the next coming gathering, or who was mates with who now. It was all fairly routine and familiar, but this wasn't. This was entirely different, the sound of hostility in her clanmates' voice making her wince as she came padding into camp. She had been out on a simple hunting patrol with Avocetfall, and she had expected things to be perfectly normal when she returned - instead it seemed like there was confusion and vitriol in the air from certain cats. Even her own mentor tensed up alongside her, their pelt pricked up in furious anxiety as their gaze landed on the kits that Lilacfur had brought back with her.

As she looked towards them, she realized why everyone seemed to be varying levels of wary, upset, or defensive. One of them seemed like a miniature reflection of Siltcloud, the mere thought of the exiled cat causing Onyxpaw's stomach to twist up into knots. Her mind didn't immediately go to blaming Lilacfur or accusing her of betraying Shadowclan as a whole - instead, it turned towards fear. Dread that Siltcloud was going to show up on their doorstep once more, searching for her kits with bloodlust on her mind. It wouldn't be surprising, considering everything that she and Granitepelt had already taken from the clan through their terrible actions.

Though, she didn't see why that fear meant that the kits had to suffer through the clan's bickering. Hadn't Chilledstar said that they were all meant to be trying to be better about all this? It certainly didn't seem like Pipitclaw and Ferndance had gotten the message.

She sent a brief glare in the latter's direction, the former already gone after his lashing out. Though Onyxpaw didn't have any special contributions to the larger conversation at hand - it wasn't as if she could speak above older warriors and their deputy, not that she disagreed with him - but it hadn't been that long since she was a kit herself. She couldn't even imagine how frightened she would be if she were in the middle of all this, torn away from one of her mothers while all the adults around her were talking seriously or outright arguing. "Hi there, I'm Onyxpaw. I don't have any mice, but I can try and help you find something in the freshkill pile that you might like. Would you like to see our nursery...?" It was quite possibly the first time that she felt confident in talking to someone, even if it was a pair of kits that she barely knew anything about besides their heritage.

Maybe that was actually why it was easier. She wasn't the one with all the weight in the world on her shoulders at the moment - Lilacfur and the kits were, and she would do anything she could to help with that.

CAUGHT UP IN A RUSH ✦ IT IS KILLING YOU

• 

• 
  ✧ shorthaired tortoiseshell point and chocolate point chimera with blue eyes
  ✧ 6 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ✧ bisexual; crushing on yellowpaw
  ✧ daughter of monarchroot and sleetjaw
  ✧ shadowclan born; silently loyal to her home
  ✧ difficult to befriend; shy to most except yellowpaw
  ✧ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP​

---

this was a mess. so many cats being so judgemental and they haven't even given lilacfur a chance to explain. they all claimed that they wanted to change shadowclan. to be better. but how was this better? how was this any better than the shadowclan that was before? they're supposed to trust one another. lilacfur had proven clearly that she could be trusted. if she didn't, she wouldn't have been a lead warrior at all. they're distrusting of a lot of cats, and given the loss of their last two lives, why wouldn't they be? granitepelt was supposed to be great but his betrayal was just that. disloyalty and insanity leads him now. their father? they'd never trusted him before but they certainly didn't expect to die by his paws. he doesn't even know they're still alive. good. they hope the guilt eats him alive.

trust doesn't come easy. they don't give it freely, even within their clan. they're trying to, sure, but it's not that easy. never has been. and right now, especially, that is being tested. their ears twitch as they walk over, grunting at the soreness of their wounds and looking over the kits who are clearly siltclouds. doomed by the narrative at birth, but surely they could turn it around. these kits were shadowclanners first, and nothing would make chilled hate them for their parentage. they cannot pick their mother, but they can choose to be better. they hope that they do.

"lilacfur. let's get them settled in and you and I can talk in my den. i am going to give you a chance to explain."

they wince as they limp closer, lowering their voice. they do not need anyone to hear the bias in their tone already.

"i trust you have a reason for how you've gone about this. I am not here to judge you and cast you aside. your side of this tale matters just as much."

they're gonna have more mouths to feed. they're gonna all have to work harder. the sooner newleaf is here, the better.

"all of you go find something to do that doesn't involve being hotheaded. spar. hunt. patrol. just leave us."

they're remaining calm for the sake of the kits, and the sake of the kits only.

"marblekit and sycamorekit. strong names for strong kits. go ahead. go with fleabounce. she will get you settled in a nest of your own. lilacfur. let's go."

// in and out !
​

 

[MARBLEPAW]

The situation turns scary—sour. Chaos erupts as cats begin to show their teeth. Angry words spew like flames from a dark tom’s lips, and Marblekit recoils. She does not know what he’s talking about, but he’s mad, she knows what mad looks like, knows it very well. Her tiny heart begins to thump louder behind her chest, and she cuddles closer to her littermate, feeling their pelts brush. A queen with fur like her mother’s appears, but any comfort to be drawn from that dissipates when she turns a furious green gaze on Lilacfur. Marblekit turns to look at her other mother, questions sparking in her eyes. Why were all these cats mad at her? “You do realize you betrayed ShadowClan for Siltcloud, don’t you?”

Why did she say that, Marblekit wonders. What is betrayed, why is it such an ugly word?

Lilacfur bends closer to them, her voice softening, unfurling like spun wool from between her teeth. “I have taken you home. ShadowClan is where you’ll stay fed and warm.” This is home, now, but Marblekit doesn’t feel like it’s home. It feels scary, dark, infested with cats with snarling words on their lips and angry, pointed questions. Despite the cats who’d come to welcome them into the Clan, there’s something running beneath it all, an undercurrent sparking—they are not wanted. She has never felt unwanted before. It’s not a good feeling.

The ginger-splashed queen bends closer to them again. Marblekit suppresses a growl. Her smile is sweet, her voice reassuring and smooth. Your mother will join you in the nursery shortly, she says, and the fur relaxes on the tiny she-kit’s shoulders. So Siltcloud will be back soon, and she’ll come into their nest and curl her skinny body around them; she’ll hold them tight, and all of this will be better. “Okay,” she murmurs, blinking gratefully up at the she-cat who speaks to them.

The heavy-jawed gray tom speaks again, addressing those who’d voiced their anger. There is authority behind his words. Two more kits slip into the frame, and though a growl begins to stir again in her throat, in her belly, she does not hiss. A tortoiseshell introduces herself—Onyxpaw. The name comforts her. She remembers Siltcloud telling them that one day, they’d be Marblepaw and Sycamorepaw. Apprentices. Onyxpaw tells them she doesn’t have any mice, but asks if they’d like to see the nursery. The nursery—the ginger-eared she-cat had mentioned it, too.

The final cat to appear is ebony-furred with a scarred face. Ice-cold eyes flash from cat to cat, more authority pooling from their voice. They address Marblekit and Sycamorekit, tell them their names are strong—hadn’t Lilacfur said that? What did it mean? “Fleabounce?” She turns questioning eyes on the older molly who’d bent close, who’d reassured them. She’d spoken of the nursery; now it was their time to go there. Hesitant, Marblekit nods, and again murmurs, “Okay.”

Something in her wants to fight this still—but she’s so, so damnably tired, and the nursery promises to be a good place, a nice place where she and her sibling can rest. She so wants to rest. She wants to burrow into Siltcloud’s flank, knead the softness of her belly, push her nose into fur scented with the cracks and coldness of the Twolegplace. Instead, she’d be laying her face against moss that swirled with the shadows of the mire.

Home.

“Let’s go, Sycamorekit,” she mutters, elbowing her littermate in his tawny ribs. She’ll let herself be led away again… for now. But unhappiness glows hot in her eyes, and there’s still a low, ever-present growl stirring in her throat when some cat moves close to her.

She will go, but she will not go happily.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Marblekit, she/they w/ feminine and non-gendered terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 2 moons old, ages realistically on the 1st.
  — mentored by n/a ; mentoring n/a ; previously mentored n/a
  — shadowclan kit, formerly a rogue. siltcloud x lilacfur, gen 3.
  — currently mated to n/a.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh fawn tabby with dull green eyes. bossy, brazen, outgoing, conniving, mischievous, skeptical, spiteful.
  
  

​

 

[lilacfur]

A call to her defense from her peers has Lilacfur visibly relaxing her shoulders and the tension from her jaw. While not at all surprised she is still relieved that she doesn't have to argue over this publicly anymore, that there are only outliers in those who do not seek to understand her first. Unfortunate that Ferndance's reputation has to further be sullied by aimless accusations, but that was her choice.

"Of course, Chilledstar." Lilacfur dipped her head in respect and most of all gratitude that she was not let down. She cast her gaze to Starlingheart once more and paused before leaning closer. "I haven't seen her in moons, I swear on the stars. I would never do that to you." Her voice is a quiet hush only for the medicine cats ears before she pulled away to trod after Chilledstar to their den.​

[ i need the clouds to cover me ]​