CALIFORNIA BAY ☀ PANTING

[dimmingsun]

@CELANDINEPAW , no need to wait!

☀

Three years and counting; Dimmingsun's track record of life so far, and yet he still finds himself surprised when the worst of greenleaf's heat creeps in. It is a large, sleepy cat, settling in comfortably and loafing over the Clans' territories — unbothered, uncaring, and definitely staying far past its welcome.

Dimmingsun already decides it is quite enough. A long, well-groomed fur works wonders when he must make a good first impression or just simply impress friend or foe. The gold drapes along the unseen structure of skin, bone and muscle, swaying in the gentle breeze or when he jumps into action. It is a show and he knows how to make it flashy. He would not give it up for the world under normal circumstances... but when the sun (ironic, considering how his namesake quickly becomes the bane of his existence) shines its rays without mercy, Dimmingsun swiftly changes his mind. Even the cool, damp air within the tunnels sounds more inviting than this, a fact he would rather not even acknowledge.

Strong paws no longer pummel the earth. Dimmingsun's gallop withdraws further and further until it is a mere walk, then an automatic placing of legs, and finally- he stops altogether. The day has been spent hunting whatever stray prey he could find and then setting off again after burying it in a safe spot. A productive last few hours, something he could easily keep up during the colder seasons... but, with his lungs forever scarred by fire combined with unrelenting heat, Dimmingsun reconsiders.

No cloud in the sky, no hope of blessed rain or bone-chilling winds. There is a great amount of huffing as he allows himself a moment's break, and without a care in the world, Dimmingsun allows himself to pant. It is a most unsightly thing on paper to look akin to a feral dog, but he will not strip himself of self-indulgence. It helps a tiny bit — and that is a relief he hadn't possessed just moments prior.

A green, singular eye flicks skyward in silent prayer- or, rather, silent at first. "Please." The word slips past his maw unnoticed, placing all his ire into it and willing it to change the course of the weather.
​

 

[FEATHERSPINE]

Heat pushed against pace quite viciously, Featherspine knew it as well as Dimmingsun. A marble-striped pelt of chocolate, thick and maned, trapped the warriors bones in a panting coat- he deliberately slowed his speed as he loped across the moors to avoid Dimmingsun's exact scenario. Glinting yellow eyes found the tom, hunched over- he looked like he might die, staring up at the sky as if spirits descended from the gaps in the clouds.

Dimmingsun was a competent tom, most of the time... when he wasn't melting beneath his own fur in the open. Featherspine's pace was quickened, but not quite a sprint as she approached- there was some judgemental sheen to her sun-glare eyes, but she found his side nonetheless, glancing at him through her periphery.

For a moment, he tilted his head skyward; expectedly, there was nothing there. Maybe the heat was making Dimmingsun wildly hallucinate. "Do we need t-t-to dunk you in some water?" Featherspine asked, voice hard and clawed. They couldn't have one of their finest warriors fainting and dying beneath the oppressive foot of the sun, crushing him like a beetle into the earth. It would be quite a crying shame.​

✦ penned by pin​