private DEVIL TOWN IS COLDER IN THE SUMMERTIME // intruder

[STORMYWING]

// @THUNDERGLEAM @DUKE @FALLOWPAW

She has grown used to being in a trio for most of her days. On one shoulder walks the clan weirdo that actually has become something of an acquaintance; on the other, the moody apprentice that begrudgingly gets along with her (most of the time). They're an odd group for sure, but soon enough she knows Thundergleam won't be coming along with them anymore. She's learned practically all there is to know about being a ThunderClanner. She's mastered all of the moves Stormywing has taught her. She can hunt, and brings prey back for the nursery every single excursion. She can recite the Warrior Code perfectly, navigate the forest, name each border...how in StarClan is she supposed to be able to tell when she's ready to become a warrior?

"Stop," The tabby orders, halting in the bushes as a strange smell washes over her. Her eyes narrow suspiciously before they're cast over her two apprentices. "Smell that?" With a flick of her muzzle, she creeps forward, keeping her body low to the ground as they maneuver through the brambles and ferns with expert ease. There, before them, appears a loner, strange to her and never seen before at their border. Except he's not at their border. He's in their forest.

Stormywing's snout wrinkles in distaste, and the impulsive part of her takes a step forward, preparing to run this guy off herself. But she stops herself and casts a look towards Thundergleam curiously. What would she do, if she were here alone? If she were here as a trusted, full ThunderClan warrior? Would she have the guts to chase off a stranger? Would she have it in her to defend their territory? It's time to find out. Stormywing rests her tail against Fallowpaw's side, a silent order to stay still. She wants to see what Thundergleam will do here.​

 

[THUNDERGLEAM]

Thundergleam, too, wondered when this meanderign psudeo-apprenticeship was to end. There was plenty regarding ThunderClan culture she had not known before, but now it was committed to memory and deeply etched within her heart- she would not be forgetting or faltering any time soon. Rosy eyes blinked thoughfully as they walked- there had been no premonition in her dream the night before. StarClan wished her to face the day without guidance... so, perhaps a test was to come.

Thundergleam's ears had pricked up just as Stormywing uttered the command to halt- she did so immediately, obediantly. This was... a strange scent, permeating the forest edge... it was strong, recent, tasted murky on her tongue. Liquid smooth, she wove through the undergrowth too- doe-eyes of pink leapt upon him, hulking and unfamiliar. A loner, on ThunderClan's territory- Thundergleam's stomach twisted with disgust. The disrespect! Utter, blatant-

Yellow eyes found pink- a snarl was curled into the lines of Stormywing's face, but she said nothing, and there was an expectant, patient glimmer in her eyes. It took a moment, just a moment, for Thundergleam to seize her destiny. And it was this... the act StarClan could not give her an answer about. A test from Stormywing, and from the heavens!

"Are you aware you tread on ThunderClan's territory?" Her voice was feather-soft, still... but to her Clanmates, void of the sincere warmth that was usually there. No- there was a faraway, corpselike coldness creeping ivylike through her words. "You are not welcome here. If you do not leave of your own volition, I shall make you."​

penned by pin ☾​

 

[DUKE]

He's trotting along, smoky - tipped ears flicking in irritation at this . . . weird, screwed - up, totally fruitless territory. It's someone's territory, he knows that much from the strong cat - smell that had met him at what he presumes to be a border . . . a ritual that's quickly becoming familiar. Unlike the other wildcat territories, though, this one is just plain aggravating; the thick underbrush, bristling with summer dew, is concealing any trace of prey - scent or telltale rustling to his untrained senses. The big tom's heavy, eelish tail slaps the ground behind him in frustration . . . he's never been a beast of stealth, nor of much skill, and he usually relies on a mixture of size and brutality to get him out of the tight spots charm can't.

" Huh? " As both a veteran poacher and a coward, his hackles quickle stir when he hears a voice, whips around to spot a strange - looking white cat with pink eyes. Weird. A scruffy muzzle downturns in a scowl and Duke quickly braces his hefty limbs, black - smoked mane bristling as molten copper eyes appraise Thundergleam. What a freak. She's talking to him in this creepily soft voice, but still . . . she doesn't look all that intimidating, for all her big words. " Yeah, right, " he scoffs, all arrogant eyes and flashing teeth. " Aren't you a little out of your depth, girlie? "

OOC : —

✮

​

 

[THUNDERGLEAM]

He looked at her with an odd ember in his eyes, something it took Thundergleam a moment to recognise. Arrogance. It was not a flare she had often caught, tinged with self-importance- not in Father's kind, gilded gaze... not in Howlingstar's kind verdant... not in Stormywing's fierce yellow, or Flamewhisker's tired green. Fangs flittered fierce light, but Thundergleam kept herself steadfast, crimson pupils refusing to waver.

A milk-white face curdled. Distaste scrunched up her muzzle. She strode forward, perhaps recklessly- it closed the distance between her and the stranger. Still, her voice was cadaverous and frigid as she spoke, letting her claws leap from their prisons and catch the sunlight that stuttered through the oak leaves of her home. "You would drown in my depth." A tufted tail lashed, a hostile accentuation. "Drowning is a slow, painful thing though... I would give you a quick death. You are in merciful paws that will spare you from suffering, whether you choose to run or fight." Truth permeated her tone.

Father had taught her how best to end a life. How to wrench a stomach open, one quick, powerful slice- they would writhe for a bit, but if you did it right they would be gone in a few moments. Thundergleam flexed her claws, displaying pristine hardiness. "I am giving you this choice. But if you fight, your story ends here." ​

penned by pin ☾​

 

[STORMYWING]

Their eyes meet, and within rosy depths there is a spark of determination. Stormywing’s gaze follows her as the ivory she-cat slips from their hiding place and confronts the stranger. Words as soft as kitten-fur but cold as rime - it’s unfamiliar to the mentor who’s only known Thundergleam’s warm personality. A shiver is sent down her spine but she remains still, watching the confrontation go down.

The stranger drips with disgusting disrespect. The way he talks to her apprentice has Stormywing’s teeth bared and her tail lashing. Why I oughtta…She steps forward, as if she’s going to go fight the tom herself, but stops herself when Thundergleam is quick to retort. The threat that spills from snowy maw is cold, drawing a smirk where a snarl had once been. That’s her apprentice, alright! Her claws flex with anticipation. She knows how good the she-cat is in a fight, but this rogue does not. Show him who’s boss, Thundergleam! She will remain here, muscles bunched and claws poised to attack if she is needed. Something tells her she won’t be, though. ​

 

[DUKE]

He bares his fangs as she speaks, yellowed teeth flashing with irritation he's never bothered to withhold . . . like he's never bothered to withhold anything. Let him not be remembered for his consideration, after all. A smoked tail lashes with displeasure as she stares him down, creepy pink eyes unmoving even as she closes the distance between the two of them. Freak. Everything about her is just . . . wrong, creepy, circus - freak distorted . . . those pale eyes, the ethereal white fur, her frigid voice, the weird prophetic - sounding words she breathes.

In any other circumstance—if he were facing down Shrike's familiar irritation, or that sturdy tawny - laced apprentice from the territory that reeked of pine—he would raise a hefty paw and crush his foe underpaw ( or so he imagines . . . in reality, he just tries to get away with his catch ). He should feel confident in his ability to do that now, looking down on this weird little pearl - furred cat . . . but as burnished copper meets glacial pink, he falters. A scarred plume of a tail smacks the ground and he growls out, " Fine. I'll— " he practically chokes on the fact that he's conceding a potential catch to this little freak. " I'll leave. "

His tail whips the ground once more and he turns back in the direction of where he knows the end of this territory to be, ready to flee unless he's stopped. A serpent's tongue can't resist a last laugh: " Watch your back, freak. "

OOC : The wimp is out unless stopped!

✮

​

 

[FALLOWBITE]

ˏˋ*⁀➷　The tap of Stormywing's tail, a silent command to hold back, makes annoyance tick in the apprentice's face. She clenches her teeth tight - and she is still. A dappled tail lashes behind her. A leashed attack dog, hooded eyes tracking the movements of the stranger. He is dark-furred, huge and scar-ridden. He reminds her of her mother with all of those wounds, and that more than anything makes her claws itch for the tearing of flesh.

She waits, and she watches Thundergleam. The pale spirit of a cat spills words like sweet sap, poisonous and dreadful. She speaks as if her maw is claimed by stars, twisting and maddening nonsense. Its claws sink into the earth to root itself.

She is not merely outsider, not like it is. She is other, wholly and utterly. Ethereal and terrible. Maybe that is why she is so good at playing clan; she seems just like those stars which ThunderClan swears their fealty to. It thinks that it would like to see her wreak that divine judgement, and the sting of being leashed lessens in the curiosity. Her words are hypnotic. They do not make it any more sympathetic, rather strengthen that wrongness. Thundergleam is not the kind of cat that Fallowpaw can ever understand.

It blinks. The rogue is certainly not like her mother, choosing to flee without his catch. "Coward," she mutters simply, watching the rogue turn tail. Her interest in him seeps away within a moment, slipping over to Thundergleam instead. Her gaze is wary as she waits to see how the molly will react.

‎‎┌── HERE IN THE FOREST, DARK AND DEEP ⁀➷ I OFFER YOU ETERNAL SLEEP ──┐‎

• 
  
• 
  
  

  "SPEECH"

• 
  FALLOWPAW ⁀➷ she / it, apprentice of thunderclan, ten moons.
  ➳ a scarred, pointed brown and white molly with shaggy fur and golden eyes.
  ➳ standoffish and solitary, always seems to have a dark cloud hanging over its head.
  ➳ baying hound xx npc, littermate to antlerpaw & doepaw.
  ➳ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ➳ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[THUNDERGLEAM]

Scarlet pupils held slitted black for a long, long while- Thundergleam flexed her claws again in the moment of pause, awaiting his answer. There would be no mercy if he chose to forsake the chance she was offering. Never. Honed claws would run through his eyes, draw a line from his throat to his tail, let all the pieces of him fertilise ThunderClan's soil.

I'll leave, though- he said it reluctsntly, like he was vomiting it out, bile tainting his tongue and his words. She did not care one way or the other whether he lived or died... it was fair, either way. He had the choice. But he turned, a tail hammering the ground, a storm in his eyes- and he spat out those final words, that lasting sting. Freak. Father's voice echoed in her mind- it would be difficult for them to understand. She let him have that last, venomous glory- spit his final threat. He had made his choice, and she would not goad him into changing it; it would not be right, would not be fair.

When she turned back to Stormywing and Fallowpaw, her rosy eyes were frosted over, and her face still as a corpse. In a ghostly voice she murmured, "Father always said cats spit on what they refuse to understand." Blink-quick, a smile warmed her face yet again, pink gaze growing warm again, her smile curved as a rainbow. "I suppose he was right!"

She stole a glance over her shoulder again. "We should strengthen this scent line, I think."​

penned by pin ☾​