pafp CAUGHT IN A SPIDERS WEB [intro]

[. Heathershade .]

Tired paws dragged themselves. The ground had turned to marsh not too long ago and soft ivory and lilac had turned a brownish-green from the muck, but Sweets couldn’t find herself to care- she was hungry.
Head dipped and amber eyes low, she had barely caught the small squish of mud from nearby, but instincts took over and her head snapped to something almost minuscule, grasping for a blink of sun to peak behind the thick overcast.
A lizard, subconsciously Sweets licked her lips, despite her disdain for the tough meet of reptiles… lizard had never sounded so tantalizing.
Unfortunately for Sweets, her vast knowledge in hunting stopped short at the quick feet of lizards, but still the chimera would try.
She dropped into a crouch, meant for mice if anything- but it was close enough, and began to make her move.
A once wispy tail, now caked in mud, waved slowly back and forth as she lowered herself.
Shit. The lizards head swung around in sudden alert, and in the depletion of warmth, it wasn’t staying around either way.
She sprung, desperate for a meal, but sloppy with her lack of sleep.
She missed, and her chance of food was gone.
With a pout on her lips, she sat back, defeated.
Perhaps it was the sudden jostling of her limbs, or the rush of a pounce, but the sudden and overwhelming scent of cats hit her senses from where she sat.
She knew she should be scared, or at least intimidated at the prospect of a large horde of cats abruptly popping from the trees or something, but somewhere in her dizzying mind, she was hopeful.
So, she continued towards the scent of cats, trekking deeper and deeper into the marshland. "Hello? … Anyone here?" She softly called, eyes shifting from one direction to another.

[please wait for @CHILLEDGAZE , she’s not too deep into Shadow territory !]
"Speech."​

[ COCOA BUTTER KISSES ]​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

focus. focus, damn it. tired optics shifted back and forth, and with a gentle breath in, the nearly solid black feline had settled their attention to a rather decent mouse that was nibbling on whatever it could find. a cold wind shifted downward, blowing its scent in their direction. they needed to just focus. ears pinning back, and a gentle sway of their tail, the felidae suddenly rushed forward, pouncing on the poor creature and snapping its neck before it had a chance to squeal and alert anything nearby. they stood back up, shaking out their pelt, scrunching up their nose at another unfamiliar scent. young... how interesting. picking up the mouse in their jaws, their paws carried them in the direction of the scent, their paws coming to a halt at the sound of someone nearby. they looked over at the npc beside them, dropping the mouse at their paws and turning towards the young cat, and heading over.

starclan, i cannot fucking stand you. why do you keep dropping young at our boarders when we can barely feed the ones we have?

the deputy hissed internally, before just clicking their tongue against the roof of their mouth. they climbed up a nearby fallen tree, clearing their throat to gain the kit's ( though she was definitely apprentice aged by the looks of it ) attention.

"shadowclan is here. where's your parents, kit, and why are you within our borders? did you get lost?"

their isn't even a bit of anger in their tone. in fact, they're curious. starclan must have thought this shit was funny. just another kit to train. i saw that lizard scurrying away. she can barely feed herself.
​

[ NOBODY ELSE MATTERS, GIRL ]​

 

[Brawlinglion]

"What's that you've found, Chilledgaze?" Brawlinglion cocked her head to the side as she marched up to join the deputy, curiosity dancing in her eyes alongside that prickling desire to fight anything that dared to move. One of these days they would find a trespasser worthy of a good fight, but this was not that day. A single look at the other cat's discovery had the she-cat angling her ears forward sharply to attention. This was definitely one of those times where claws weren't needed. How frustrating. The muscular calico remained poised by the deputy's flank for the time being as she waited to see what the stranger would say or do.
​

 

[Glowingsoul]

"ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SHIELD WALL"​

How interesting that the stars seemed to think Shadowclan has dens and prey to spare to keep allowing young cats such as this one to appear in their marshes. With a lash of a tail, the slow blink of curiosity within burning copper eyes, a smokey grey tabby would step forwards as if materializing from the shadows themselves to stand beside her clanmates.

Her gaze was cold, analyzing, and yet the spark of interest was also alit in the molly's gaze. The younger she-cat was clearly less than skilled at hunting and having wandered into a clans clearly marked territory showed Glowingsoul that she was also less than bright when it came to common courtesy. But she would simply meow softly to Chilledgaze and Brawlinglion, "Perhaps this little kit is an orphan. No mother would just leave their kit here unguarded, especially with the cold days coming."

Speaking a bit louder she would direct her next question to the trespasser, "What do they call you, small one?" ​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[PITCHSTAR]

Personally, Pitchstar would love to claw his way into the star-spangled sky and strangle whichever deity decided it would be funny to drop off kits left and right on ShadowClan's borders. Prey is already scarce, between the fire and the steadily approaching cold. They do not have anything to spare. But what kind of a monster would leave children to die?

The chocolate tom materializes next to Chilledgaze, his nose scrunched up at he glowers down at the young she-cat. "Fuck's sake. You children are like roaches; just when you think you've squashed them all, another one comes crawling from the carrion!" Pitchstar snorts at his own joke. There's no malice in his tone, just a sheer misunderstanding of how to talk to kits. "So, where the hell'd you come from, then?"​

 

[. Heathershade .]

By the time Chilledgaze would begin speaking, Sweets had already caught their scent, a subtle autumn breeze blowing her way and her nose is filled with a murky scent, but she did not recoil, in fact she had slowed to a stop, eyes drifting around as she waited for the stranger to finally make themselves known.
Finally, a voice pipes up and the lilacs head is snapped upward to make eye contact with her visitor.
Kit.
The word left a bitter taste on her maw, she wasn’t used to being treated like a child, she had always been raised to be independent.
She tilted her head slightly, the scent of another trickling forward shortly before another appeared at the others side, this one’s gaze more hungry than her companions.
She parts her maw to speak, but two more appear before she can begin her greeting.
Questions, questions.
A fiery gaze is glued to her, almost scrutinizing with the way his nose is scrunching up. Crude words leave his maw, but Sweets stays still, spare for the occasional blink. "Nice to meet all of you… Shadowclan" she begins, her tail flicking to and fro, she has just been abruptly shoved into the spotlight. "Forgive my intrusion, I’ve been on my own for some time now and do not know the area" she continues, amber optics flickering between each new face. "I got separated from my family, and happened to land on your border, I can hunt for myself just fine, but I can’t take care of myself. I know nothing of medicine or combat, when I scented the other cats hope got the best of me" her voice remains steady, despite the icy burning that creeps up her throat at the mention of her parents. Her gaze steadies on the one who asked for her name, "my name is Sweets" she answers, dipping her head in an official greeting before her vibrant gaze is turned to the one who compared her to a roach. "We have a way of knowing where we’re needed the least" she humors him in return, "I’m not a helpless child, but I do ask for your guys help, I can pull my own weight." She decides to finish her monologue there, before she gets carried away as she normally might, though she has pleasantly surprised herself with her formal but smooth tone- perhaps those days of solitude did do something good for her.
"Speech."​

[ COCOA BUTTER KISSES ]​

 

[PITCHSTAR]

stars, she talks a lot, doesn't she? although pitchstar supposes most children do. her words are met with eye rolls and snorts; everything she says contradicts itself. she can hunt, but she cannot survive. she isn't helpless, but she needs help. lies, lies, lies. pitchstar's head reels with them. how many liars will he allow to seep into his ranks, infect his clan from the inside? poisonous little rats, scurrying underneath his nose.

one more liar, he will allow, it seems. pitchstar has never had the guts to turn away a child. (weakness permeates his being. he wants to claw at his chest and rip it out himself, let it rot and wither in the foul waters of his kingdom.) "i'll humor this decision, little roach," pitchstar drawls out, his eyes narrowed into a sneering grin. "shadowclan grants you sanctuary. but if you betray us... you'll be gone before you can even blink." a thinly veiled threat. a pathetic attempt of clinging onto power.

"in return for our kindness, you'll hunt for us, you'll fight for us. you will swear undying loyalty to shadowclan. and if you do this, we will return the favor." twin embers glint, tilting his chin back. "deal?"​

 

[. Heathershade .]

If one were to be looking close enough, they may catch the small hitch in Sweets steady breathe when Pitchstar speaks once more, his tone his firm and it makes the chimera want to clasp her ears to the back of her head, but she keeps her gaze glued to him, unflinching.
Acceptance.
A subtle breath of relief breaks its hold, and she has to restrain herself from an eager nod- the leaders nickname for her sparking defiance in the back of her mind.
I’ll prove to you. I’m not some little pest.
Her own soft smirk hangs at the side of her maw, grateful in his threatening welcome but acutely aware of all the eyes on her.
"Deal."
"Speech."​

[ COCOA BUTTER KISSES ]​