sensitive topics CATHEDRAL SONG \ return with body

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

At Roeflame's heartbroken command, the warriors and Scarletpaw had pulled Freckleflame's body onto their backs. He shares that burden with Roaringsun; the golden tabby's grief swells and encompasses them all. Raccoonstripe remembers the day Freckleflame had been born, aside Mousenose, Sparkwing, and long-dead Mossypaw. They'd followed Little Wolf's first litter of kits; his sister and Sunfreckle had shared the nursery for many moons, had reared their children together. Now, most of them are gone... Raccoonstripe curls his claws into the snowdriven earth, his tail bristling behind him.

They enter camp in padded silence. Raccoonstripe allows Freckleflame's cooled body to fall gently to the floor, alongside Roaringsun, Roeflame, and Scarletpaw. He studies her where she lies, the blood splashing her dappled fur, the fur between her claws. "Freckleflame is with StarClan." His voice is taut with unspent rage. "We found her at RiverClan's border. They killed her."

It had been a battle, that much was obvious — had Freckleflame been foolish enough to try and challenge RiverClan alone? Had she tried to adjust the scent markers without backup? Or had RiverClan just been callous, eager to take more from ThunderClan just because they could? He remembers that cold, empty look in Beefang's single eye and grits his teeth.

[ patrol tag: @ROEFLAME . @roaringsun @Scarletpaw but no need to wait
tagging @Flamestar for visibility
takes place after this thread </3 ]

… ❞​

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[HOPEPAW]

⊱⊰ Tending to both patients and herbs, Hopepaw's attention does not often stray from her tasks. Even when a friend comes to visit—usually a fluffy calico with bright eyes and a chipper voice—it's difficult to tear away the girl's singleminded focus on her duty. However, the sound of Raccoonstripe's voice, veiled in fury, is enough to pull her from her internal monologue as the lead warrior speaks to the clan. He and his patrol, they've… returned with a body. The bloodied tortoiseshell form is unfortunately familiar, and copper eyes widen with despair as she takes in the sight.

Freckleflame had been so bright in life, seemingly never cowed by anything. To see her drained of her spark, to see her flame guttered out, is enough to make the medicine cat apprentice's paws freeze in place. When she finally regains control of her shocked muscles, Hopepaw pushes her way over to the patrol on stiff legs. Why would RiverClan do this? Wasn't it enough that they took away Sunningrocks? Did they feel like they needed to also take away a clanmate? "I'll… I'll get Gentlestorm," she says, her best attempt at sounding unaffected. She's a professional, she can't be showing tears at each and every death. For a heartbeat she lingers at the patrol's side, staring blankly down at the warrior—the corpse—before she moves on, padding back in the direction of the medicine den. They'll need to prepare a vigil, and find something to cover the scent of death.

an ancient spirit’s song 【❖】 will heal our wounds

• ooc: searching for @GENTLESTORM
• 
• 
  HOPEPAW ❯❯ she/her, thunderclan medicine cat apprentice
  
  ⊱ skinny, thick-furred lilac molly with deep copper eyes. soft-spoken and a bit of a grouch.
  ⊱ daughter of batwing and leopardtongue ; adopted by roeflame
  ⊱ mentored by gentlestorm
  ⊱ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted ; does not typically like physical contact from anyone besides her family
  ⊱ penned by foxlore

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[ROEFLAME .]

-ˋˏ ༻ ☀ ༺ ˎˊ-

The patrol had carried Freckleflame's body home in silence, a bitter image of unity as they solemnly spill into camp. The body between the deputy's shoulders was a husk of her best friend, the cat who had weaved primrose petals into her pelt when she had been nearly too pregnant to groom herself, the one Roeflame held close through every tragedy they had to brave- every loss. Freckleflame wasn't supposed to be one of them.

In sync with the rest of her patrol, Roeflame lowers herself slightly, allowing Freckleflame's weight to pass from her shoulder blades and onto the frosty soil. Like Raccoonstripe, the deputy cannot bring herself to pull her attention away from her friend too soon, celadon hues clinging to tufts of dull molten fur for what felt like eternity.

When the brown tabby finishes speaking, Roeflame finally gathers herself enough to lift her head and turn to the nearest warrior; "fetch Flamestar immediately." Where Raccoonstripe's words are brimmed with warm rage, Roeflame's tone is cool stone, a picture that's been eerily flipped.

Her daughter's fleeting presence is met with a quiet nod as the mother tries not to let the image of Hopepaw's horrified gaze cloud over her mind. She turns with a sharp, shuddering breath. There was too much to do, too much to focus on. Should the deputy let her train of thought tilt, her ability to see straight may be lost entirely.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── I GOT A POCKET ⋅✴⋅ A POCKET FULL OF SUNSHINE ──┐‎

• 

• 
  ROEFLAME ✩ she/her, Deputy of Thunderclan, twenty-seven moons.
  ⭃ petite cinnamon silver ticked tabby with murky green eyes & a small scar over her left eye.
  ⭃ mate to Burnstorm ☀ mentor to Dovepaw & Dwindlingpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted ☀ underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

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[Scarletdust]

Scarletpaw pushes through the camp entrance stiffly, grief heavy in her eyes. She helps to lower Freckleflame's lifeless body to the ground and steps back to stand in the bloodied circle of warriors. Her fur has grown sticky with drying blood, though none of it is her own. She lowers her haunches to sit and her body folds in on itself like a wilting leaf. Her breath comes in shallow gasps, the sharp scent of copper filling her lungs.

Freckleflame is dead.

Raccoonstripe's voice cuts through the fog in her mind, sharp and accusing: 'They killed her.' The apprentice flinches as though the blame is aimed at her. She knows it's not, but her claws dig into the earth regardless. Why had RiverClan done this? Freckleflame had been a fierce warrior, and sure she could be loud-mouthed at the border, but she didn't deserve to die! Scarletpaw's gaze flicks to Roeflame, whose silence feels like a scream in itself, then to her mentor's bristling tail, and finally to Freckleflame's body once more. She looks so small, so still.

This is what war looks like.

Her stomach churns. She wants to look away, to shrink into the shadows and let others deal with this, but she forces herself to stay rooted. This is what it means to be a warrior. She has to be able to face this. "I-I can help with the vigil," She offers unsteadily. She knows the queens usually do this, but…she doesn't want Sunshinespot to have to deal with preparing his sister's body if he doesn't have to. Her paws tremble as she stands, split-colored eyes flicking to Hopepaw for some kind of direction, some assurance that she can do something useful.
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[leafhusk]

'they killed her.'

raccoonstripe's voice rings out like church bells, tolling for the recently departed. she didn't know freckleflame personally, only that she was one of the cats under her care in the loner lands. one of thunderclan's strongest, brightest gone, snuffed out because of a bunch of rocks. honestly, what were they doing? leafhusk doesn't look at the remains closely, or at all, really– no matter how long she's lived in the woods, she still can't stomach the concept of death. golden hues glaze over the dried blood, and the somber faces of the patrol. there's nothing for her to say, the sepia chews the inside of her cheek.

her eyes meet roeflame's, and they soften in a quiet show of condolences. her head bows to show she listened to the request, and she turns around. weaving past clanmates, the lead warrior leaves to find the sun-kissed leader. though, she's certain flamestar will emerge after finding the scent of blood.

// fetching @Flamestar

⚘

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[Flamestar]

〔✦〕As Leafhusk had suspected, the fire hued leader had already began hurrying out of her den as the scent of blood had started to spread through the camp. She didn't say anything to the fawn lead warrior, instead she searched her gaze for a few heartbeats....for panic, for pain, for grief...Leafhusk had always been a strong warrior, but she could tell something was wrong. Her heart beat was ringing in her ears the closer the got to the crowding group around Raccoonstripe and Roeflame. Something serious had happened...

Freckleflame

Her throat tightened when her gaze rested upon the limp tortoiseshell's figure. Riverclan... She could smell their stench radiating from the fallen warrior's pelt. Her eyes narrowed, but inside, they burned with a fire comparable to the vibrancy of her pelt. "Was she found alone?" It takes a tremendous amount of effort to speak calmly, but her clanmate's weren't the ones who deserved her ire. The leader leaned down and pressed her nose into the molly's fur, closing her eyes while the patrol members answered her question. She had been alone, not a part of the patrol. This wasn't the result of battle, this was murder. I hope you've found them... Freckleflame had lost so much the past few moons. Sunfreckle had been killed in the wolf attack, giving his life so the queens and kits could escape...Rabbitnose and Mousenose had been killed during Skyclaw's reign...she knew how much her parents had adored each of them, she could only ground herself by holding on to the hope for a family reunion happening in Starclan.

Hopepaw departed, heading to fetch Gentlestorm to begin preparations for a vigil. The thought of burying another kit she had watched grow up made her sick, but she pushed through it. "She should be buried next to her fathers." Their graveyard had grown too full for her liking lately...and with each battle she lead her clan into, only opened the door for more death. "Riverclan will pay for this." A promise, not a threat. Their attack on Shadowclan was too close to risk leading a battle patrol over to Riverclan tonight...but she will make sure Freckleflame's death is avenged.

no damsel in distress ( dont need to save me ) //

• ooc.
• FLAMESTAR —— leader of thunderclan , mentoring merlinpaw & bayingpaw. storm x lily . littermate to nala, smokey, and nemo ✦ penned by icey !
  ✦ afab / she/her / 40 moons & ages every 20ᵗʰ
  ✦ widowed / heterosexual / closed to romance
  ✦ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
  —— difficult in battle, will start & finish fights
  ★★★★★★☆☆★
  
  ✦ "speech", 'thoughts', all opinions are in character
  ✦ tags — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
  
• 
  
  

  a longhaired red tabby with low white and green eyes. flamewhisker's fur is a vibrant hue of red, riddled with thick classic tabby markings. her fur is medium in length, and she has a large, feathery tail. her chest, belly, tail tip, and her paws are dipped white. flamewhisker's eyes are a dark, deep shade of green. her shoulder has a large scar on it from a fight with a dog. she also has a shredded ear from a disagreement with a loner during her time alone before joining thunderclan. on particularly cold days, or sometimes before a major weather change, she will walk with a slight limp from her shoulder injury.

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[ROARINGSUN]

〔✦〕The trek back to camp is painstakingly slow. No words are shared between the patrol as they make their way through the territory, padding through the gorse tunnel into the clearing with Freckleflame's body on their backs ( and still, she's not nearly as heavy as their hearts ).

He barely listens in to the words of Raccoonstripe and whoever else is talking. He stares darkly at the corpse of Freckleflame, the warrior peacefully lying on the frosted ground - Roaringsun half-expects her to get on her paws once more. His eyes remain glued to her throat, to her claws, as Flamestar approaches. "She was alone at Sunningrocks." The tom speaks, finally, amber gaze at last looking at the red tabby leader. "But there were signs of struggle. She fought but it wasn't enough."

I took a little journey to the unknown ( Ive come back changed, I can feel it in my bones ) //

• ooc.
• ROARINGSUN —— warrior of thunderclan , mentor to berrypaw . npc x npc . littermate to npcs ✦ penned by nocthymia
  ✦ male / he/him / 16 moons & ages every 14ᵗʰ
  ✦ single / orientation & poly or mono / open/closed to romance
  ✦ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
  —— combat details here / battle notes
  
  ✦ "speech", 'thoughts', all opinions are in character
  ✦ tags — msg on discord (hypmic) for plots — toyhouse
  
• reference image here
  

  a longhaired flame sepia with low white and amber-brown eyes.

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[Lightflower]

❝ swinging in the rain humming melodies ❞​

The scent of death hit her pregnancy-sharp nose before she even knew what was happening. Nausea bubbling in her stomach, the queen rose from her nest. The tang was unmistakable, sending shivers down her spine. Lightflower pushed her way through the nursery opening. Raccoonstripe, Roeflame, Scarletpaw and Roaringsun had returned from their patrol with a body. Not just any body... "Freckleflame..." she whispered, voice hoarse with emotion. She hadn't been close with her. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if the molly had ever forgiven them for Sunfreckle's death. But Lightflower had no reason to harbor any negative feelings toward her.

She kept her distance, letting those closer to her flock around. There's an odd, detached feeling inside her. Sad, but far away. A single tear fell down her cheek as she curled her tail tightly around her rounded stomach.
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