sensitive topics don't stray far from me ;; rogues at the border

[Fireflyglow]

He can feel the worry bubbling inside of him, the constant need to leave the camp to look for any traces of his sister. His father believed her dead, but Fireflypaw knew Howlpaw wouldn't let herself get killed by some mad-dog of a Rogue. She'd put up a fight before she died, leaving some sort of evidence behind to help them find her body. But nothing was there; her scent disappeared over time, leaving the ground smelling of wet grass and pine instead.

Fireflypaw is accompanied by a Warrior as he gathers more moss and cobwebs for Dawnglare, a stick used to organize the cobwebs and keep them from getting tangled. He's so busy, in fact, that he doesn't even notice a shift in the scents around him. Only when the sound of sticks cracking reaches his ears does he lift his head, panic in his expression.

"Well, if it isn't clan cats.. You've got the Upwalkers all riled up lately. They're snatchin' us up left and right because of 'ya." Fireflypaw winces at the voice, rough and ragged with use; his throat must be sore, and Firefly thinks idly of how he wants the stranger to croak. Are they blaming us for the twoleg kidnappings? "I'm sorry, but maybe you've got the wrong cats. We haven't brought the twolegs here on purpose. They just.. Began showing up and taking our cats, too." Fireflypaw responds, tossing a close-eyed glance over his shoulder at the bodyguard he's assigned. The tension in the air is thick as he hears grass rustle once more, the Rogues moving around the two cats until Fireflypaw is nearly nose-to-nose with a tom almost his size. This one sounds different, his voice softer and more gentler on the ears. Though, the words that come out of his mouth are anything but.

"Don't fucking lie to us, kid." Fireflypaw grinds his teeth together as his ears swivel to listen, the subtle rumble of a growl in the Rogue's chest setting off alarm bells in the medicine cat apprentice's head. Right, Chrysalispaw said he couldn't always rely on his size.. Especially against a fully grown cat with more fighting experience than himself. With the first Rogue cutting the two SkyClanners off, the second one corners Fireflypaw against a pine tree as he continues his interrogation. "Where are our cats?!" The Rogue yowled, snapping jaws out quickly in warning. Fireflypaw flinches at the sound of jaws snapping closed, his ears laid back against his head. "I-I don't know, I-" "Liar!" He snaps again, claws swiping out once across his face; eyes shut tight as agonizing pain causes a high-pitched wail to escape the apprentice's lips. He cradles his face with his paws, ragged breaths leaving him as he tries not to show fear. Fear would only make things worse, wouldn't it?

The first Rogue snorts as he watches his comrade stand over the chubby apprentice, turning to face the Warrior once more. "What are you starin' at? You want some of this, too?"

// feel free to play the warrior the first rogue is messing with! others can come upon the scene after said guard/warrior replies. <3 there are two rogues: an older tom, and a younger tom. firefly is currently cornered by the younger one, who slashed him across his eyes!​

 

[selby]

ocean breathes salty​

When he had joined SkyClan, Blazestar had recommended to Selby to stick with other cats in order to learn the ropes of clan life. Coupled with the fact that no one was allowed to leave the camo alone, it was only natural that he would find himself chaperoning for Fireflypaw. He found himself fairly comfortable with the apprentice, given that they had always been friendly towards him.

Selby took the duty seriously, focusing on the environment around them as the medicine cat apprentice collected supplies. Despite his vigilance, however, two rogues managed to sneak up on the pair. Unsure of what to do, the former loner watched the interaction between the rogues and Fireflypaw carefully, stepping closer to the apprentice in order to be of better service defensively. However, the second cat managed to weasel his way between the pair, cutting Selby off from the apprentice.

Rattled, Selby stood stock-still for several heartbeats, but as soon as Fireflypaw was attacked and the rogue challenged him, he swung into action. He was no stranger to fighting, as evidenced by the several scars splitting his dark tabby fur. With a threatening growl, Selby swung at his aggressor, claws aiming to rake across his face.​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[Sweetybee]

"Now that wasn't very nice.... You could really hurt him....."

Sweetybee looked down on the rogues with a soft, sad and worried expression. Most would think it's genuine, that she was truly this soft hearted. But inside there was fire ready to burst. How dare they.

How dare they come here and pick a fight with them.

She can hear her sister now, telling her to teach these losers a lesson. So, she would.

Claws gripped the branch she loomed from and she shifted, preparing to pounce. She would certainly teach these rogues some manners.... She seemed soft, but she was anything but.

With grace, she leaped down to join Selby in the attack. Striding over to him, she faced the older tom and looked him in the eyes.

"Perhaps you need a lesson on proper behavior....." She said softly.....Before swiping at his front legs with a surprisingly strong blow in an attempt to make him fall.


​

 

[Dandelionwish]

Blood in the air, just like home wasn't it-or rather, his old home. You couldn't take a pawstep in Windclan without the scent, so suffocating at times he felt ill from it but he'd long sense gotten over it; had to when you were a healer. Couldn't be helped, claws out training meant facing the mess more often than you didn't. SkyClan though, SkyClan was much more reasonable with training, much more understanding to the plight of a medicine cat. He was not on this patrol, Fireflypaw didn't like him and Dandelionwish was the sort of cat who could get along with anyone but knew when to make his presence scarce to avoid a fuss; mostly. The chocolate-limbed tom twirled his wheat stem between his teeth, flicked it to the corner of his mouth with a tightening of his jaw. It had taken a moment to realize just what it was he was scenting from upwind at an awkward angle in the distance but the moment he did he was on pivoting around to race into that direction like a bolt of lightning. He was still a poor climber, still practicing and his skills in the trees were far from useful in combat but he was once a WindClanner. Rabbit-chaser, Hare-runner, he was speed, quick as a whip, confident in his strides.

Sweetybee had moved in to his side to join Selby in striking the rogue and Dandelionwish like an arrow fired slammed himself into full force against the side of the younger rogue near Fireflypaw to send them both rolling from the sheer force of his collision; he'd have a good share of bruises but he was about to make this cur wish they'd their own medicine cat back wherever they dragged their sorry hides from. Long legs disentangled themselves from the heap of cat and he clamped his teeth down on a scruff to shake in a vicious but nonfatal warning.
"Ye ought better GIT 'fore I shred ye into pieces!"
​

 

[GREENEYES]

He's on a separate patrol when the smell of blood rushes in like a flood - leaves his heart sinking, his stomach twisting.

And it's the sound of a fight, that causes his legs to move toward the scene. Straying from his patrols - he's been doing that often as of late. But, with the hissing and growling that echoes through the forest, he thinks the rest of his patrol must be following behind him.

But oh, the scene he finds himself at. The blood spilled. It's a scene he didn't imagine, with all the pieces he'd had - a scene that shakes him.

Fireflypaw. Cornered, cowering. Hurt. Cats he can hardly recognize as rogues are being barrelled into by warriors he does not care to identify in the midst of the fray. Fi is hurt, Fi is hurt, Fi is hurt.

"Fi!" Orange and white paws race forward, aiming to get in between the battle and the medicine apprentice. Greenpaw needs to get his friend out of here, needs to get them to safety. To Dawnglare, an interaction he'll worry about dreading later, when his mind is clearer and Fireflypaw is safe.

Fear-ridden eyes look down at his friend, unkempt pelt bristling. One step closer to the two of them, and Greenpaw will have to turn and fight the rogues himself. He hardly knows what damage has been done to the pointed apprentice - isn't sure if Firefly will be able to defend himself, if the warriors already striking the rogues fail to keep them at bay.

"Fi..? I'm... Stars, we... We need to get you out of here." There's a sense of urgency to his stammering, fright bubbling once more.

Greenpaw can't lose him too.
​

 

[Fireflyglow]

Selby's presence is a welcome one in tension-riddled times like these, the rogue launching himself at the tom only to have claws rake across his face. He yowls then, agonizing pain riddling the Rogue's face and yet he turns- backing away from Selby only to feel his legs come out from under him. With a grunt, he goes to the ground harshly; standing up only when his fellow rogue yells out in pain. Fireflypaw is shaking, he notices- legs trembling as his paws cradle his face as if cradling a kit. He wouldn't dare try to look up, to have the rogue wound him again. Right when he feels the shadow loom over him again, the smell of Dandelionwish wafts past his nose and the weight is gone suddenly. He tries to pry his eyes open, but the agonizing pain causes him to shut them once more.

Fi! A familiar voice calls out to him, and despite feeling underwater Fireflypaw's head jerks upwards in response. "I'm sorry, I- I tried to explain to them that-" He stuttered, though his friend is quick to interrupt him with his own worries. Fi..? I'm... Stars, we... We need to get you out of here. "I should have tried to use Chrysalis' teachings, I-" He's already used to the feeling of not being able to see, so used to closing his eyes when he walked around. He stands up in time to hear the younger Rogue yell out at Dandelionwish.

"I can't understand a word you're sayin', fool!" He shouts towards the ex-medicine cat, paws striking out in an attempt to pummel Dandelionwish's face. "Get offa me!" A bite to his scruff, and the older Rogue untangles himself from the two Warriors to run away- leaving the younger one behind. "Where is our cats?!" The younger one shouts furiously, and Fireflypaw flinches at the tone used. "We don't know! Something about the shelter- twolegs. We know just as much as you do!" He shouts back, though he quickly leans into Greenpaw's side as they begin to leave. With a rough attempt to kick Dandy off of him, the younger Rogue tries to flee as well.​

 

[selby]

ocean breathes salty​

Backup was not far behind, it seemed. With the rogues far outnumbered, they seemed eager to distance themselves from the fight, which Selby allowed with a warning swipe to the tail of the one retreating from him. If the other SkyClanners wanted to harass them further, so be it, but the former loner wanted no part in it.

Instead, he approached Fireflypaw. "I know it hurts," he soothed, having been swiped across the face just a half-moon prior. Still, the claw marks looked nasty to his untrained eye. "You probably know better than me, but it might help to rinse it off? Or if you think it'd be better to go straight back to camp, I can help you there too."​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[BLAZESTAR]

The stench of rogue infiltrates Blazestar's nostrils, and the fur along his spine begins to bristle. He looks to @Coyotepaw and gives him a subtle, silent signal with his tail -- a motion to follow him on the lightest paws he can manage. The Ragdoll can hear the yowls of battle, cats both familiar and not. SkyClan has already begun to chase these beasts away, but Blazestar is dismayed to scent his warriors' blood spilled.

But it isn't the warriors who are hurt. His son crouches, paws blindly waving toward a bleeding face. Fireflypaw's sensitive eyes are shut tight, but scarlet weals around them both.

"Fireflypaw...?" His tone is dismayed, but edged with outrage. "Why? Why would they attack a cat who would not fight back!" His lips peel away from his fangs, and he spits in the direction of the fleabitten rogues. "Cowards!"

The Ragdoll rushes to his kit's side, pressing his muzzle against Fireflypaw's shoulder. The scent of his child's blood is dizzying. "We don't have time," he murmurs to Selby. "He needs to be seen by Dawnglare." His gaze shoots to the warriors near him. "Dandelionwish, Selby, make sure those rogues are out of our territory. If you find so much as a misplaced paw, show no mercy." His voice flushes with his anger. Two of his kits with StarClan, and the lawless foxhearts had tried to steal a third.

Blazestar swings his gaze to Sweetybee. "Help me get him home. Fireflypaw, you must walk. We will help you." Though his voice is firm, firmer than it has been in almost a moon, there is an underlying tremor, a fear that his son is more gravely injured than he can know.

// feel free to say dandy and selby chased them off or feel free to make a thread! :3

@DAWNGLARE you can assume they've made it back to camp​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[Coyotecrest]

Angry at all the things I can't change

At Blazestar's signal he trails in behind the ragdoll with swift albeit silent steps. The scent of blood catches the air as the sounds of battle grow louder. Flaxen ears flatten against his broad skull, claws slipping from their sheath in preparation to fight. But it seemed as if Selby and Dandelionwish already handled the brunt of the work. Fireflypaw instead is the one with weeping wounds as scarlet drips down dual colored features. Coyotepaw watches helplessly as Blazestar rushes toward his son, fretting over the injured medic whilst giving orders. His lips press into a thin line as he turns, following the trio back to camp. ​

when you're lost in the universe don't lose faith​

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[Fireflyglow]

Selby is quick to soothe him, the apprentice lifting his head up in time to smell the scent of his father pass by his nose. It jerks, head swiveling with panic until he hears his father's voice. Get up, let's go. Fireflypaw skitters close to his father's side, head hanging low as he presses against his side.

It's a quick trek back to camp, but when he's in the safety of it he finally takes a deep breath. Someone's calling for Dawnglare in the background, and he can feel eyes on him as he trudges back to his shared den. "Dawnglare.." He croaks, though his tone is nervous- he'd gone with a Warrior, but that didn't change the fact that he had gotten attacked. Was nothing safe, anymore? "I couldn't find Howlpaw, but these Rogues came out and attacked me.. Askin' where their cats were." He mumbles, shaking out his fur as he lifts his head up for his mentor to see.

Across his eyes were two jagged claw marks, dripping blood down his face; though mostly unharmed, his shaking made it seem as if the fight had been much worse. "It hurts.."​

 

[DAWNGLARE]

There's a - wailing in his ears; cries from something long dead, stubborn indeed. Only a fool would be so ignorant to their own demise, carelessness embedded, a lecherous drilling of will. Obsession, if he's ever seen it. What is there to say of those swept up by those upwalkers? They are harmless, flesh in bone within seconds if you did what you were told. Of course, of course, this was something clan cats so inherently struggled with. The differences between them became clear with each passing day. His heart aches.

Copper tang in the air, and he is freyed. ( Jumpy – he would never so admit it, circumstances new and renewed, he finds himself so plagued with little worries as of late. Delicate contrast, there, that he feared the very same blood he would love to spill; sweet revenge). His name is sung like a chorus, and so he rises as devised. His nose, twitching pink, leads him to the sullied sun and its little one. He couldn't possibly – Can't possibly – He never knows what his face is doing, when it's Blazestar. (Not anymore, at least) His cheeks do hurt, certainly.

The crawling thing makes it easy on him, steps to Dawnglare's own paws with sad eyes and a reddened face. The quirk of hislips only grows more stressed the closer he draws. ( Did he deserve that though? Oh, did he? It was meaningless to them all, wasn't it? Always the followers... Oh, he could be next ). Today, he finds himself weak, though. Humor him. His cheeks burn, burn. He holds back how little he cares about the failed expedition.

He dips his head for a closer look, invading their space. " They will be taken care of, " Simply, he says, a too - wide gaze drifting to Blazestar and the few who accompanied him. He cannot – will not help the slant of crystalline eyes upon Dandelionwish's putrid form. A paw reaches to swipe at cherry red across the apprentice's jaw. He frowns as it only encourages further spread. " Keep them closed. " And the blue of his eyes continues to search, to search... His voice warbles on a note. " I will fix you. "

I will fix you. He repeats it like a mantra. Foolishness guides him, for just a moment. Could he not indulge a little? Not imagine what it would be like, if the blood never cleared. Blank - gaze and ruffled fur. He speaks to no one in particular, voice climbing into unsteady octaves. " Wet moss. We are retiring. " He doesn't know why his soul wedges in his throat as he comes to guide Fireflypaw to their den. ( He would never admit it. )​