camp BE MADE NEW AGAIN / aftermath

[Orangestar]

The general atmosphere, as Orangestar's patrol nears camp, is tense. It reflects in the leader's body language immediately, ears pinning, any enthusiasm or smugness she'd had about leading a successful border patrol at her late stage of pregnancy all but shattered. In its place sits tension, the sense that something had happened while they were gone, and she picks up the pace even if her flank heaves with the exertion. It's hard to tell around the lucky catch of a patrol member that cloys her senses, but Orangestar doesn't think she can scent cat-blood.

A prayer is sent skyward; please don't be an attack. Had she grown complacent in her neutrality with Sunstar? Had something trampled their home, Clan or otherwise?

Orangestar trots through the camp entrance, head on a swivel. So much of the Clan is out of their dens, pelts bristling, centred around ... Fireflyglow? Orangestar had scented Dawnglare in passing on their way back, but she hadn't thought anything of it aside from noting that it was strange for him to be alone. Mallowlark's scent had gone undetected, and so Orangestar is faintly puzzled by his absence among the clamouring Clan.

"What happened?"

ooc ✧ 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦

• // takes place ~10 mins after this thread
  ora's patrol was @TWITCHBOLT @DOEBLAZE @KITE but this thread is open!
• 
  
  [ art by pin ]
• ORANGESTAR ✧ she/her, leader of skyclan | seven lives
  
  
  — "a scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes."
  — (undisclosed) mate to slate ; currently expecting kits
  — speech is in #D2977D
  — tags | penned by mercibun, contact on discord for plots.
  
  
  
  

​

 

[QUILLSTRIKE]

IF THE POINT'S TO NEVER DISAPOINT YOU, SOMEBODY'S GOT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO​

---

It was sheer poor luck that every lead warrior or figure of authority had been out of camp when it happened, leaving the burden of explanation on those left behind. A part of Quill regretted not having slipped away when he still had the chance, but his choice to interfere had sealed his fate, and he’d stayed put until the familiar figures of Orangestars patrol came padding back into the clearing.

"Dawnglare freaked out because Fireflyglow took a mate.” he reported, blunt and tactless as ever as he made his way over to meet the group. ”They took a few swings at each other but it was… yeah. Everythings fine, but Dawnglare took off.”

The ‘fight’ had been pretty pathetic by most standards, and if it hadn’t been so emotionally charged than the chimera would have hesitated to even call it that. More like a slapping match, if anything. Still, *some* kind of damage had been done, even if it wasn’t by claws and teeth.

​

skyclan - male - 30 months (Feb 17th) - mated to Twitchbolt - a very tall, muscular chimera with mismatched eyes and several scars. has bluejay feathers woven like spikes along his spine and neck.

 

[DOEBLAZE]

Much like her leader, thick fur crackles along the back of Doeblaze's neck as they draw near to camp—an electric reaction to the tension charging the air. It reminds her of how the trees seem to bristle and lift their needles to the sky before a thunderstorm, as if hoping to catch the lightning. Or, in this case, to redirect its path; she falls in lockstep behind Orangestar as they draw nearer, her good eye trained on the bramble-laden entrance and her torn ears at a sharp, rabbitish twitch. Her jaws part on instinct, inhaling deeply as they shuffle through the gap in the camp's wall. Brow furrowing, she catches only the familiarity of pine-spice and tarry sap, nothing of strangers or blood.

Settling towards the back of their small group with a swish of her tail, she presumes to leave whatever thickens the air to the pair of higher-ranking cats on the patrol. Orangestar's question is as quick and sure as everything she does, down to the set of her paws under her swollen belly. Admiration flashes through her mind with the quickness of heat lightning, quickly dissipated by Quillstrike's swift response. The chimera warrior's face is glossy and unreadable as a cloudless sky at sunhigh, and no amount of searching gleans anything from his countenance.

" You mean they got physical? Two medicine cats? " Her words roughly frame a picture of disbelief, but her tone betrays it as something closer to distaste. Doeblaze chuffs a breath out of her nose, horselike, thinking of the snatches of scent on the way back. Pockets of sunwarmed strawberry and columbine flower, picked up by default and discarded the same way. She doesn't pay much mind to the medicine cat's absence—he's as given over to fits of fury and joy as a tempestuous god, but with half the power. He'll come back eventually, she figures; he can't stay angry at Fireflyglow forever. Speaking of ...

" Why? I mean, why would he get upset about that? " she interjects a moment later, her muzzle rumpling with something like contempt. " He's never exactly bothered to disguise his affections for Mallowlark. "

OOC : —

✦

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[FIGFEATHER]

One lead warrior who had been present to behold the disastrous event was Figfeather. Dawnglare's departing words echoed in her head, ’drop dead… I hope you all drop dead’ again and again. Figfeather's whiskers shriveled, and her eyes were clouded with distress when Orangestar's patrol returned.

Her heart pounded against her chest, making her feel sick. Dawnglare's words had poisoned her ears, and she wished she could unhear them, forget. Was he really so unhappy here? Was SkyClan not home to him? How... how could all this time mean so little? ’He was just angry. He’ll calm.’ Her mind whispers in a fragile effort to self-soothe.

Figfeather approached despite her paws feeling like stone. She was grateful that Quillstrike had explained the gist of what had happened, but Orangestar needed to know everything. As much as she'd rather forget he even spat such poison, if Figfeather didn't tell Orangestar, someone else would.

She looks at Doeblaze, tired. ”He’s Dawnglare.” She shrugged, knowing that was likely the best explanation they’d ever get on why the situation had upset him so much. He had always been a touchy Tom, the most unusual things have lit a fire underneath him before… just never this bad. ”We should speak in private…” Figfeather addresses Orangestar now. She doesn’t want to speak of Dawnglare’s words in front of everyone at risk of blowing it up even more.

​

 

[edenberry ?!]

The summary Quillstrike gives is... pretty much all that needed to be said but, Doeblaze is ever hungry for gossip and gritty details, even though they might defame their medicine cat for his moment of frustration. He didn't mean it.... They say that over and over again, replaying his departure in their head, the way he hissed at them to be quiet. He doesn't mean it. He had done too much to keep too many of them alive to want them dead... They glance at Figfeather with a sense of frustration bubbling in their chest as she swings into suggestion to talk in private, like that fight hadn't been for half the clan to see anyways. What right did she have to steal away the narrative, to say her point of view and present it as the only fact... the only interpretation? What about their clan-mates, who'd been hurt by his words, even if they weren't Fireflyglow... they weren't Greeneyes.

She's not the only one that cares to see this resolved.

They ignore her bid for privacy, sallying ahead to add their own piece, "It's... not that simple.... Fireflyglow just had a hard boundary to set and Dawnglare wasn't in a place to hear it. They both acted out... and ended up fighting," they frown at Orangestar, hoping she doesn't take this as another responsibility under her belt when it's not something a leader can really fix. "Mallowlark went with him... which is probably a good thing, they just need some air. It was just one bad moment...."

⟡₊ ⊹ i ll betray you like a man

• 
• -- edenberry / skyclan daylight warrior / any pronouns / 17 moons
  -- mostly white with black pinstripe and green eyes / scarred face and back
  -- color #728c69

​

 

[flowercloud.]

She hadn't meaned to upset Dawnglare, by grabbing him. Her paws shifted uneasily under her, green gaze watching the entrance of the camp, hoping, and praying that the two come back. But why wouldn't they? Surely, Dawnglare just needed time to recover after the anger... "I tried to calm him down- but.. i think, no, i know i angered him more." She wanted to apologize, but at the same time, he had leaped towards his apprentice. he had striked and pummeled- but, "I dont believe there was any real injuries, though. It was all sheathed." She said, confident in her words. well, besides mentally impacting all of them negatively. but that she considered under sheathed as well. there was no blood, that she knew of.

"I've never know Dawnglare to not mean what he says though." Flowercloud shook her head softly, shame settling it down to face her golden paws, saddened that the quirky cat may not return. But she was hopeful that he did return. She was hopeful that the medicine cat would return and everything would be somewhat okay. She understood that Dawnglare would still be upset though, but she wished he would feel useful. Needed. Wanted. He may have his weirdness, but who didnt? He was respected and appreciated in the clan as much, if not even more, as others.

She wanted to follow, to try to find him, to try to bring him back. But if she couldnt even dispel the situation earlier, how would she make it right with him when it wasn't ever her that upset him? Besides, leading the charge to pull them off of each other.. but even still- hed still be unhappy with Fireflyglows situation. A sigh escaped the scarred molly. "Let me know if you need me, Orangestar," she says, unsure of what to do. Besides, Figfeather was needing to discuss stuff alone, and she would be respectful of that.

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[TWITCHBOLT]

He felt it, like the prickle of static before a storm- something resting atop his pelt, a sickening uneasiness. The tenseness was impossible not to notice- Stars, had it been a stupid idea for him and Orangestar both to go on a patrol? But- but Figfeather, Howlfire, Florabreeze, they'd all been here, right? Something- oh, it couldn't be something awful. Dawnglare's name flitted in the air, and he imagined the medicine cat refusing to treat someone- making a kitten cry, something like that...

With enraptured worry, he looked at Edenberry- felt sickness swaying in his limbs. His nose scrunched, twitching unpleasantness quivered across his face- Dawnglare leaving, Mallowlark not long after him. An odd, gripping paranoia he'd never felt for Dawnglare before gripped him. He looked rather blankly at Edenberry for a few moments, noting the hopefulness that clung to their tones.

Twitchbolt let loose a shaky sigh. "There's a warrior with him... he should be alright." Why his brain immediately went to the most perilous of scenarios, he didn't know. But it felt like a peculiarly hopeless thing, to try finding someone who didn't want to be found. "Even if that warrior is Mallowlark." And maybe there was no better option beside the late Blazestar himself to bring Dawnglare back to his senses. Still, Twitchbolt could not shake a coiling uneasiness around his bones.​

penned by pin ✧​