come out of ashes — scouting

[MASON]

.you save everyone —————————

————————— but who saves you.

▵ ———————— ◮ ———————— ▵

THE LARGE RAVEN-HUED BRUTE SLITHERED FROM WITHIN the shadows of the alleyway, ridged claws digging into the pavement with a series of clicks, wishing for the comfortable earth he’d grown accustomed to. He huffed, pausing mid-step to stare ahead with furrowed brows, expression solemn. Damn.

His willowy tail flickered in agitation, muscles rippling beneath his raven-furred coat, tensing by the second. He was unfamiliar with his surroundings, having come from a greater distance in search of something away from the hell his life had become. His ear flickered, letting out a bitter chuckle that slipped pasted darkened lips tilted down in a frown-turned scowl. Where the hell am I now? He scanned the darkened alleyway, hidden from the sun’s rays giving Mason the perfect cover, blending into the sea of darkness save for the gleam of his azure-tinted hues that glistened like sapphires. Hell if I know.

The male grumbled, lowering himself onto his haunches, willowy tail wrapping loosely around his massive paws to stare ahead, helm pressed against the wall, hoping to quell the pounding headache he was currently sporting. He grumbled, frame sagging against the rough brick digging into his flesh despite the thick-furred coat he possessed. The scratch surface sent shivers down the lengths of his spine the longer he remained pressed against the wall, drawing rough pants from parted lips. Fucking hell. He hurt, but that sure as hell wouldn’t stop him from scouting out a potential place to rest. Keane needed it. He needed it. Yuhwa wouldn’t last much longer; Mason was sure of it.

The Norwegian Forest winced, sucking in a tentative breath against the soreness of his ribs, reminding him of their latest scuffle with dogs a few days ago before arriving here. Damn thing snuck up on me. He let out a hefty sigh, shaking his helm in annoyance. He wasn’t weak, far from it, but it had unintentionally sent Keane into a frenzy, lashing out with no mercy as Yuhwa watched from the sidelines, nursing a wounded leg.

Mason winced at the bloody memory, shaking his helm only to make the pounding worse. He groaned in agitation while pressing his temple even rougher until it throbbed in tandem with the slow beat of his heart fluttering against his rib cage. His azure-tinted hues stared ahead, slightly down-turned to watch his surroundings, still unfamiliar with the territory. He had no one else to watch his back, not that he needed that. He was fine, or as fine as he could give the situation at paw.

His blackened fur ruffled, ridged claws digging into the pavement below with a vengeance, something to distract the male from the nervous flutter of his insides, tickling his scarred flesh until he felt like gagging. He silently cursed, eyelids fluttering shut to quell the need to empty his stomach right here, pressed against the rough stone. The funny thing is Mason hadn’t eaten in some time, so what the hell was he supposed to throw up? Acid. Nothing more.

The brute wasn’t even sure if he wanted to eat after witnessing the deaths of his friends so carefully ripped away from him without warning. It had been one after the other, life showing no mercy as it bared its teeth until Mason was nothing more than a bleeding puddle begging to not let anyone else be taken away from him. Besides. He sure as hell knew no one would care if he kicked the bucket. The raven-hued male laughed bitterly. It should have been him that died. Not Kavan. Mason should have died. No one else had to die, yet the clowder of nine strong dwindled to three as he watched the very cats he’d grown to cherish and love, only for them to be ripped away.

He inhaled through his nose, lungs filling with the familiar scent of twolegs doing little to ease nausea bubbling up. He huffed, reaching a paw to press against the top of his helm, ears twitching at the sudden sensation with a rumble that vibrated deep within his chest. Better get this done and over with. He mused, ruffling his raven-hued pelt.

Mason clambered to his paws, wincing at the sudden movement jostling his battered frame, reminding him to take it easy. Of course, the male ignored it. He was still breathing, wasn’t he? He was fine. He could still do this. He needed to do this. The desire to show he wasn’t useless. He could push himself well beyond the limits if he needed to. Hell. He was doing it right now. The raven-hued brute wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere and sleep for the rest of the day, but he couldn’t. He still had a job to do. He had cats relying on him to get this damn thing done. He couldn’t afford to slack off. Not now. Not ever.

He swayed on his paws, black dotting his vision, threatening to pull him under. Damnit. The towering brute ambled forward, away from the comforts of the two walls that provided Mason some sense of safety now left his hackle up, azure-tinted hues while his heart throbbed painfully in his chest. His muscular frame screamed to relax, begging him to recover. “Let’s get this damn thing over with.” He muttered, tone deadpan.

thoughts speech​

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[Galeforce]

↞ RACE THE WINDS

Settling into twolegplace had come with a fair number of trials for Galeforce. No longer was he racing across open moorland, nor was he traversing the cluttered forest territories either. There was no spongy ground to give his running starts a propelling give, which was proving to be more than a little uncomfortable on his joints. Adaption would come slowly if given the time, though if the fates permitted it he fully intended to return to the moors in order to reclaim them under a new banner of leadership. If he could get the numbers to flock to his side then he would perhaps grow strong enough to take on Sootstar and her indoctrinated followers.

The brown tabby had settled into a temporary home which consisted of a stack of abandoned wood dumped carelessly in an alleyway. Far enough away from the main hustle and bustle of twolegs whilst still keeping him close enough to their waste bins so he could scavenge the contents and feast upon the vermin that were attracted to them. It was a pretty decent set up in truth and he was finally gaining weight after so many moons of not eating well at all. If dreams of revenge did not plague his mind then he might have considered settling down there for the rest of his days, but it wasn't an option. It would never be an option.

Galeforce took it upon himself that day to broaden his investigations of the area beyond the alleyway. If more cats decided to join him then he would need to widen the source points of food and water, and of course locations to serve as boltholes in times of trouble. A good leader had to consider such things, right? Gale exhaled as uncertainty clouded his thoughts for a moment. Though that brief flicker of distraction nearly caused him to miss spotting another cat. It took him by surprise and caused him to bristle with unease as he fixed his optics on the beaten looking tom. "Damn, you look rough buddy. Need any help?"
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[MASON]

.you save everyone —————————

————————— but who saves you.

▵ ———————— ◮ ———————— ▵

THE RAVEN-HUED BRUTE TENSED, HEAD WHIPPING TO stare at the stranger with widened hues, maw parting to reveal sharp canines. Who the fuck–? Mason’s brow furrowed at the thought, wondering when the feline appeared and why he didn’t notice until now. Damnit. Keane’s going to kick my ass. He thought grumpily, not looking forward to the older male's scolding.

His attention drifted to stare at the other, ear flicking in tandem with the other’s question, brow raising at the statement. Did he need help? No. Mason sure as hell wouldn’t announce he needed help before he passed out, already noting the inky tendrils of darkness slithering in the corner of his hues. Fuck. He’d pass out somewhere else then. Just a little longer. Then he could return to the familiar pines where they made camp for the time being.

“Thanks.” He drawled out sarcastically, raven-furred locks ruffling at the statement. “Feel like shit too.” He grumbled. The male drew out a huff, staring at the other with critical hues, brow raising in question. Who walks up to someone—no less someone looking like they’d been dragged through the trash—and asks if they needed help? Weird. “No. Doin’ just fine.” He grunted.

It wasn’t long until the male tumbled forward, barely catching himself with an audible oof. His vision swarming with the threat of passing out right here and Mason would be damned if he passed out in front of some stranger. He wasn’t weak. He sure as hell had worse so why was his body acting like this? His nostrils flared in annoyance, deciding to lean against the wall to save what little energy he had left.

His azure-tinted optics shifted to stare at the stranger, narrowing in disdain. “You live here, stripes?” This better not kick me in the ass. He thought, ear twitching.

thoughts speech​

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[Galeforce]

↞ RACE THE WINDS

A brave face and a desperate act to conceal one's ailing health when confronted with the unknown intentions of a potential enemy. Galeforce could sympathise, and if the roles were reversed he reckoned that he would have done the same. He wasn't a threat though, not towards the likes of Mason anyway. There were no qualms to be had. The tom watched and listened, admittedly with growing worry for the condition of the other as things progressed. No, he couldn't bring himself to ignore the plight of the other. Maybe it was that old clan habit of wanting to support others, or a naturally soft heart, but he refused to walk away.

"Yeah, I live around here. For now anyway, I'm more of a travellers if I'm honest. The name's Gale." Slowly his fur began to lay flat and the tension slipped from his form as he granted himself the opportunity to relax. If the other proved to be a genuine source of danger he felt pretty confident that he would have the strength and skill to deal with them. "If you want I could help you to somewhere safer than here, you can rest there. You'll be away from twolegs and other loners." He offered as he began the process of closing the distance between them with the intentions of offering up a kind shoulder to lean against for support.
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[MASON]

.you save everyone —————————

————————— but who saves you.

▵ ———————— ◮ ———————— ▵

THE LARGE BRUTE SHIFTED, SIDE-EYEING THE OTHER, brows furrowed in thought. So he lives around here. He thought, tail flickering. Might save me some time. He remarked dryly, gaze darkening the longer he remained lost in thought, only now pulling himself out of his stupor at the stranger’s name. “Mason.” He replied bluntly, azure-tinted hues narrowing.

Somewhere safer? His lips tugged into a frown, shrugging his shoulders. “Don’t really care.” He grunted, frame shivering. Fucking hell. His helm shook, rolling blue-tinted hues, annoying coming off of him in waves. “I have others waiting for me.” He finally added, glancing at the other with a critical hue, watching the other grow closer.

His stomach churned at the thought of someone touching him, even if it was to help, the noticeable flinch bringing him closer to the rough-textured wall with a choked grunt. Fuck. “Thanks, but I can walk just fine.” He rumbled, shaking his raven-hued locks, azure-tinted hues blurring with the notion, taking a sharp breath.

“Know any abandoned places good enough to live in?” He inquired, shuffling to watch Gale with a raised brow while he remained propped up against the wall, sagging noticeably with a pained sigh.

thoughts speech​

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[Galeforce]

↞ RACE THE WINDS

Galeforce took note of the other's body language and it prompted him to slow and hold back from closing the distance further. Of course not all cats he came across were friendly, nor open to being touched. It was something that he needed to remember, lest he find himself clawed or bitten. Still, it pained him to see another living creature looking so rough. Though something that the other mentioned peaked his interest. Where were the other cats he spoke of? Were they in rough shape too? Probably, and likely desperate for somewhere to live given the line of questioning pertaining to abandoned places.

"Very well, but please don't go straining yourself. And in answer to your question yes, I do know a couple places, but they're a bit of a trek." Gale explained with a nod of his head. "Are the others alright? If you don't mind me asking..."
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