sensitive topics FAMOUS LAST WORDS || encounter phase 4

[Flamestar]

〔✦〕TW for mentions of blood, death. Paragraphs with gore are marked with **

"You're sure you are feeling alright? We can always hunt another day." A cold nose would press against her daughter's forehead before they departed the camp. It wasn't too long ago that she had nearly lost her…the last thing she wanted to do was drag her out into the snow. But after Squirrelpaw's nod of confirmation, she turned and led the way out of the camp. The snow burned against her pads, but it warmed her heart to spend time alone with one of her kits. After Skyclaw had killed Howlingstar, she had been spread few and far between…and after becoming leader, despite their nights shared together in the Leader's den, she hadn't had one on one time with any of her kits. Soon they would be warriors, and would want to spend less and less time with her. She would have to let go, and her heart wasn't ready for that yet. Her pelt brushed against Squirrelpaw's as they trekked through the snow. A flash of blue caught her eye, and a flicker of grief appeared in her gaze. The scar across her neck that Stormywing's kit had inflicted was still bare from fur. It took nearly everything she had to look at the imperfection that her daughter had no choice but to wear…and it pained her to reimagine how close she was to losing her.

The snow wasn't falling as hard as it had the day before, but she still wasn't hopeful on how much luck they would have today. The prey had been hiding pretty well since the snowfall began, but some cats were lucky…and they wouldn't know unless they tried. Once they approached a clearing, Flamestar stopped and tasted the air. Something felt…off. There were paw prints here, paw prints that shouldn't have been here yet, and feathers littered the snow. She didn't know anyone was supposed to be hunting in this area.
"Well well well…what do we have here?"

Green eyes whip to their right and settled on a black tom. His ear was torn, and scars littered his pelt. Behind him stood a tortoiseshell and a silver tabby. The pair fanned out to slowly begin to surround them. As they got closer, Flamestar moved protectively in front of her daughter, flicking her tail to try to get her to back up. The silver tabby lifted his lip, leftover blood from the bird dripping from his canines. Their pelts clung tightly to their frames, showing nearly every bone in their bodies. "Didn't think you clan cats were brave enough to venture out in this." He licked his lips, wiping away whatever remained of the bird they had stolen. "I haven't seen one of you since that blue tom moons ago, the one with the white patch on his chest. Remember that, guys?" he paused, throwing his head over his shoulder to glance at his friends. His teeth glistened in the sunlight, and he turned his menacing gaze back to the two mollies. "Pathetic little thing. Tore his throat before his friends could come help. Pity we'll have to do the same to you."

I haven't seen one of you since that blue tom moons ago...

...that blue tom moons ago...

blue tom

Black orbs turn to slits as she locks eyes with the black tom in front of them. "What...what did you say?" Steam fell from her tongue as she spoke. Her voice was deadly quiet as she took a step forward. The tortoiseshell tried to make an advance towards Squirrelpaw, but Flamestar swung around with outstretched claws and forced the rogue backwards. "Squirrelpaw, run. Get help." She couldn't afford to turn to see if her daughter obeyed or not, but she'd be dammed if she let any of these fox-dunged creatures lay a claw on her kit. Her heart was roaring in her ears as she struggled to control her rage. Once Squirrelpaw had gotten away, the rogues started to slowly pace around her. The black tom lifted his chin and let out a teasing laugh. "You think sending her away will save her? After we're finished with you, we'll just follow her paw prints. Her blood will spill just as easily as yours."

Flamestar closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath. "It was you." A shudder rippled through her pelt, but not from the cold. She couldn't feel anything right now, other than pure, deadly anger. Her blood boiled harder than it ever had, yet she stood stiffer than she ever had. With each inhale, her breath hitched as she fought the urge to scream her lungs out. When she opened her eyes, she saw Flycatcher's bloodied body lying at her paws. Newborn kits had been momentarily left with Roeflame as she wailed in grief at her mate's limp figure. The moons of unhealed heartbreak came pouring back, and her body felt unbearably heavy. "You...are the reason...my kits grew up without their father...you..." Her eyes opened once more, and she locked onto the rogue group leader's pacing figure. "You made a big fucking mistake."

** "What're you-" The tom's question was abruptly cut off as the leader exploded towards him. He was larger than she was, so her attempt to pin him down wasn't successful, but she managed to get a several slashes in across his face. The other two rogues stepped forward to jump in, but the rogue leader hissed for them to wait. The tom threw whatever weight he had left into pinning her down. The light framed leader kicked her backlegs as hard as she could underneath him, but it wasn't enough before he lunged forward and grabbed her throat with his sharp teeth. Flamestar let out a cry, but with a sharp twist of her shoulder she was able to tear herself out of the tom's grasp. She staggered as she regained her footing, blood dripping down and melting the snow in front of her. The black tom lunged towards her, but she reared up on her back legs and pushed downwards with her front paws as he was close enough. Claws met flesh as she swiped them across his neck, like she had with Lichenstar. Blood sprayed across her chest, matching the crimson dripping from her throat. The tom locked eyes with her for a heartbeat, before his muscles went loose between her paws.

** The tortoiseshell let out a wail, but before she could join the attack, the silver tom rushed forward and barreled over Flamestar. Claws tore into her shoulders as the tom tore into her, raking whatever he could get ahold of. He slashed his claws across her throat wound again, deepening the wound further. Flamestar threw herself upwards, anchoring her teeth into the tom's throat, dangling off of him as he leaned backwards. The forest was starting to spin, but she was determined to not let go. The tortoiseshell rogue joined the fight, and sunk her claws into Flamestar's shoulder, pulling her backwards. The silver tom coughed as he was freed, and drug himself away from the fight, collapsing into the snow a few tail lengths away. The last rogue threw Flamestar's weakening body to the side, and stood over her. Flamestar tried to find her gaze, but everything around her was blurring. Her lip lifted in a forced snarl, and the tortoiseshell laughed at her attempt. "This is the last thing you'll ever do, forest fool." She leaned down to whisper a few whisker lengths from Flamestar's ear. "Once I end you, I'm going to find your daughter." She then sunk her claws into Flamestar's soft belly skin, and tore as hard as she could, before turning and kicking snow across the leader's face. The rogue let out a wicked laugh as the flame pelted tabby went limp, blood staining the snow underneath her. Now to find that little rat that got away...

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

• ooc.
  rolled a 6 so didn't find prey
  but she got frostbite
  
  please wait for @SQUIRRELPAW before replying!
  there is 1 rogue remaining, and 2 dead ones near Flamestar's body
• FLAMESTAR —— leader of thunderclan , mentoring merlinpaw . storm x lily . littermate to nala, smokey, and nemo ✦ penned by icey !
  ✦ afab / she/her / 38 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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[SQUIRRELPAW]

"You're sure you're feeling alright?" Lost in her own little world, her mother's question nearly went right over her head. Squirrelpaw lifted her gaze to Flamestar's, blinking slowly up at her as the question sank in. "Huh?" She mumbled quietly, before it finally dawned on her that she'd been asked something. "Oh! Um, yeah, I'm totally fine. Good as new, thanks to Gentlestorm and Hopepaw." The cheerfulness in her voice was forced and high-pitched, belying her actual discomfort at the question. She'd never been good at fibbing. Honestly, while her body was well on its way to healing from her ordeal at Sunningrocks, her mind and heart were far from recovering.

She couldn't stop thinking about how much she'd messed everything up. In her determination to try and protect her family, she had run headfirst into a fight that she was ill-prepared for. Her lack of effort in her training over the past few moons had finally caught up to her, and in the heat of battle, she found that she was less than useless. Twinkleflight had nearly ripped her chest open within moments of engaging with the Thunderclan apprentice, and even that had been nothing compared to the wrath she'd faced at Pinepaw's claws. Her only thought had been to rescue Scarletpaw, but she was quickly put in her place. She couldn't even save herself; how had she been naive enough to think she could save anyone else? If Flamestar had not intervened on her behalf, she would undoubtedly be dead. And now everything was muddied and ruined.

But she didn't want her mother to see that. Thunderclan's leader had far more significant concerns to focus on now, and she didn't need to worry about her foolish daughter's insecurities. The blue torbie plastered a smile onto her face, revelling in the comfort of her mother's touch against her forehead. Her eyes briefly fluttered closed, her chest aching with the effort to hide what she really wanted to say. "I'm not okay." But seconds later they were off, mother and daughter walking side-by-side into the snow-laden forest. Her mismatched pelt brushed against that of fiery red as she kept close to Flamestar's side, trying to push back her shame and enjoy this time for what it was. Ever since her mother received her nine lives their quality time had been scarce, and this trip was a blessing she was determined not to ruin.

It was odd to be standing nearly at the older molly's shoulder now, a reminder of her impending warrior ceremony. It wouldn't be long before they had even less time together, as Squirrelpaw and her siblings moved on to more prominent and essential duties. A large part of her didn't feel ready, as if earning her name was a right she had not lived up to yet. Daily, she found herself wondering if she was the kind of cat her father would be proud of. Would he be disappointed in her, the way she was in herself? It still stung to know she would never find out. He would not be there to witness her warrior ceremony, as he hadn't been there for any other significant moment in their lives.

So lost in her thoughts, Squirrelpaw hadn't even realized how far into the forest they had traveled until a chilling voice echoed through the leaf-bare breeze. "Well well well… what do we have here?" She didn't recognize the voice, and a glance at her mother's face indicated she didn't either. The apprentice's hackles immediately stood on end, her fur bristling as her body instinctively reacted to the unidentified threat. "Mom…" she whispered almost imperceptibly, her voice trembling as an ebony figure appeared from the trees. He looked in rough shape, obviously not from the cushy life of a kittypet nor from the relative safety of a clan. Unease gripped her stomach like a vice, and she fought against a wave of nausea as two more strangers stepped out behind him.

Flamestar placed herself in front of her as the trio moved closer, and she was hit by the grim familiarity of the situation. Whatever was about to happen, she knew deep down that it wouldn't end happily. Once again she found herself in a situation where her mother would have to risk her own safety for her. A tail brushed against her chest, and she hesitantly moved back but was unwilling to stray too far from her protector. Her heart pounded like a war drum as the rogues circled, their apparent leader goading Flamestar with hissed insults and taunts. She prayed to the stars that they would just go away, that her mother wouldn't take the bait this time and that these fleabags would realize they weren't worth the trouble.

Was it too much to hope that this wouldn't end in bloodshed, for once?

Evidently, it was. Squirrelpaw heard the words in tandem with her mother, but their weight took far longer to actualize in her mind. "I haven't seen one of you since that blue tom moons ago…" That could be anyone, really. What was he getting at? "…the one with the white patch on his chest…." Squirrelpaw had never met Flycatcher; she wasn't lucky enough to know what he looked like. But cold dread crawled up her spine as a pang of familiarity washed over her. Her mother had told her many stories about their heroic father throughout her childhood; she'd described him in such great detail that sometimes the girl saw him in her dreams. "…tore his throat out before his friends could come help…" white hot tears stung her eyes as her throat closed up, threatening to suffocate her. Flamestar's reaction to the revelation was enough to prove the suspicion she didn't want to accept. A strangled sob racked her body, a low wail working its way onto her tongue. "No… No…"

"Squirrelpaw, run. Get help."

The shock had not yet settled over her when the order was issued, and her horrified green gaze whipped around to her mother's. "No!" She cried again, louder now. "No, I'm not leaving you!" She couldn't do this again; she couldn't let Flamestar suffer under the burden of having to save her life again. She unconsciously stumbled backwards as the rogues pressed forward, fear grappling with her desire to stay. Only a coward would run now. She knew her father would've stood steadfast at her mother's side, protecting her against any threat. But that voice inside her head whispered the truth, reminding her of just how pathetic she really was. "You can't help her. You can't help anyone." Time seemed to slow as their enemies began to circle, and almost against her will, Squirrelpaw felt herself turn away.

She wouldn't have been strong enough to take on these rogues on her best day. Let alone while she was still recovering from a near-fatal injury. Logically, she knew it was the right thing to run to camp and alert the real warriors, those who could actually save her mother's life. If she went now, she might make it in time. But it didn't stop her heart from shattering as she looked back over her shoulder to see Flamestar standing alone, a beacon of strength and resilience, better than she ever could be. "I love you," she choked out through a blanket of tears, but her words were carried away as the wind picked up around them. Snow swirled, covering her vision in a veil of white, obscuring her view of her mother just as a blur of flame collided with shadow.

"Move." Powdery snow kicked up behind her as she sprinted back to camp faster than she'd ever run in her life. Her lungs ached to draw in frigid breaths as she pushed harder, desperate to reach camp in time. She had to get there in time. And every paw step further away burned like claws raking against her soul. If she arrived too late to help, she would never forgive herself. The blue and cream apprentice was so out of breath by the time she finally burst through the gorse tunnel, she only managed to cry out a stuttered warning. "Need... Help! Mom... she... rogues.... attacked... please hurry!"

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‎‎ooc ✶ info

• [ this is open now!! tldr: squirrelpaw reluctantly obeyed flamestar's command to get help, and she ran back to camp for reinforcements. whoever posts next can be assumed to have returned to the scene with squirrelpaw in tow! ]

• 

• 
  SQUIRRELPAW ✶ she/her, apprentice of thunderclan, 11 moons
  ⭃ lh blue torbie with low white and green eyes // slender but fluffy
  ⭃ single, bisexual, crushing on lionpaw // flamestar x flycatcher
  ⭃ sister to bugpaw, ravenpaw, sunpaw, falconheart and stormfeather
  ⭃ mentored by lightflower // adoptive sister to sparrowpaw
  ⭃ peaceful powerplay permitted // underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by limerence ↛ @limericks. on discord, dm for plots