camp GHOSTING — rta, prompt

[HARPYFALL]

loyalty.

every cat is loyal to one concept or another; for some, it's their clan. others, their family. sometimes, it's to themselves. harpyfall, too, is loyal- perhaps it is unconventional, others certainly seem to think so. but he knows no stronger love than that he holds for his housefolk. they do not speak the same language, but words have always seemed overrated to him. it's the gentle touches, the patting of their lap as they invite him to share their space, the way their strange furless face seems to light up when he comes into their line of sight. actions speak louder than words, he's heard some say, and he couldn't agree more.

call him crazy, but he would choose his twoleg above anything or anyone else in this world. even skyclan... he does love them, but he's loved his twoleg longer.

it's why, when his twoleg begins to act strangely, harpyfall does not leave their side. with a strange smell of sickness in the air, his twoleg begins to grow sluggish. not moving from their spot on the bed, coughing and sniffling. harpyfall, instead of beginning his trek to skyclan that morning, opts to stay curled up next to them. unnatural heat radiates from them, much like a fever rolling off of an ill feline.

he stays until the smell of sickness no longer permeates the den. by then, days have passed... but he knew skyclan would be fine without him during that time. there are plenty of capable warriors to look after each other.

only when he's certain that they're alright, does harpyfall return to skyclan. carrying a finch that he caught along the way, the cream cameo dips into the camp, drinking in the familiar clearing. it seems like forever ago that he'd seen it, even though he knows it was only a quarter-moon at most.

"sorry for bein' gone," comes the breezy comment to whoever greets him first as he drops the finch into the fresh-kill pile, not sounding sorry in the slightest. he truly doesn't think he has anything to apologize for... his twoleg was sick, and he stayed with them until they felt better. whoever faults him for that isn't worth listening to regarding loyalty in the first place. the daylight warrior doesn't offer any explanation for his absence- doesn't feel like he should have to explain himself when he's done nothing wrong. instead, he takes a moment to stretch out after his long walk from the twolegplace, claws flexing.

[ prompt 6: write about something or someone who inspires loyalty in your character! ]​

 

[SLATE]

If Slate really knew how Harpyfall felt toward his twoleg, how he felt toward being a mere accessory for the bipedal being, then he would have had more than a passionate earful to deal the older tom.

Quite the contrary from the daylight warrior, Slate despised the idea of living with twolegs. He had been born into the world under a manmade roof, handled and doted upon by his owners until he was several weeks of age, and had even been taken home by a twoleg couple before making his grand escape out into the real world. It was on the streets where he learned the realities of kittypets, how kittens were torn away from their families and made into simple accessories for twoleg entertainment. Then they were replaced by another cat once they died, and then another after that, even. Why live one's life perpetuating this cruel, meaningless cycle and rotting the years away behind a window pane instead of roaming the earth and having free will?

And, to make matters worse, SkyClan allowed these pets to travel back and forth, to live with a paw in each world. He may have been a newcomer to clan life, but he just didn't find it fair. It must have been nice getting to escape the chilling leaf-bare air, having a reliable source of food, never having to worry about ailments because the twolegs would heal them for you.

No, his loyalty was to himself. It always had been and it always would be. Investing your trust in others, especially those two-legged beasts, was what got you killed.

It isn't hard to tell that this stranger is a kittypet, with the stench of his nest wafting from his fur as well as the piece of cloth tied around his neck —a marking. A telltale sign that you belonged to someone. Slate sneers in utter disgust, and although his tone remains somewhat leveled, his words drip with snark, "Why apologize? Probably much easier spending your days eating kittypet slop and curling up in a warm nest instead of dealing with the snow and slush like the rest of us." It isn't hard for Slate to deal a mocking comment, even toward a cat he had never met. At least he had brought a single contribution to make up for his absence, however long that must have been.​

— * ✰. ooc information recent events * ✰. —

• 
  
• 
  ✰ SLATE
  —— amab, uses he/him pronouns. twenty-nine moons old. warrior of skyclan; former rogue.
  —— unrefined, rough and tumble rogue who is not accustomed to clan life. only trustful of his littermate, duskmane.
  —— link to tags. @ on discord for plots.
  
  quite the hulk of a cat, slate stands above the average clanmate with an arrogant gait. he has a dark gray ( bordering on black ) colored pelt with a pale-brown-tinged underbelly and whisps of tan at the tips of his chest hairs. amber-colored eyes contrast against his dark palette. notable features include a jagged scar across his right eye and two small scratches across the bridge of his nose.
• —— decided to officially remain in skyclan as a warrior
  —— participated in battle with windclan, currently recovering from belly scratches and a bite mark on hind leg
  

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[SILVERSMOKE]

Loyalty was a fragile thing, so easily tested by the decisions one makes and the acts one commits that it would be fair to say that most animals had no true loyalty at all. Rogues and kittypets he believed to be such animals, the former only thought about survival and the latter only thought about leisure, neither could define what it made to have faith in something other than their own whims and wants. Silversmoke found his loyalty in an idea - clans. Little communities of cats helping to build each other up, providing sanctuary for the young and old without fear of a twoleg interference under one star-touched leader. The Daylight Warriors tested such a vision, they had a paw in a selfless world and a paw in a selfish one, but that was where his secondary faith prevented a falling out with them entirely - a loyalty in whichever leader braved the helm. Loyalty to that ideal meant curbing his tongue as best he could, but silver of fur and not of wit, that was not always an easy thing for the tabby to accomplish. He tilted his head toward Slate, conflict being the only thing stopping him from outwardly agreeing with the other, then settled his sights on Harpyfall.

The other's scent barely seems of SkyClan anymore, and with the previous distance kept between the two, it takes Silversmoke a second to put a name to his face. Eventually, he cranes his neck. "You missed a lot." Some such events had been even more tests of aforementioned loyalty, it'd taken great willpower for him not to protest it, and briefly, he wondered if loyalty to a clan or loyalty to a leader was more important - a worse situation than that may force him to choose between the two. He didn't want to consider going behind anyone's back for their own good, not when he didn't always trust himself to know best. Black-tufted ears flick in thought. Silversmoke gave a staunch nod of gratitude for the finch added to the fresh-kill pile. "Was it your own choice to stay away?" The question is deliberate, and though his expression is strangely placid, an answer he did not like threatened to have him siding with the very animal he thought could destroy his clan. Still, for now, the spotted feline was quiet, reclining carefully on his haunches as he prepared to hear Harpy's answer.


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[Howlfire]

Loyalty. It was a concept that Howlpaw, despite her young age, was all too familiar with. Once she had held loyalties to two clans but her sister's death and the establishment of the warrior code had forced her to choose between them. She had chosen SkyClan but had questioned whether it had been the correct choice when she saw the reactions of her family. The hurt and betrayal just a few small words had caused. She had grappled with her choice for a long time afterwards, wondering whether it was worth all the pain. But despite her doubts and guilt, she was happy and proud to be here. She had pledged her loyalty to SkyClan in front of her father and all her new clanmates and she would uphold that loyalty with her dying breath. She had turned her back on ThunderClan now and embraced SkyClan with her whole heart. Howlpaw had been born between two clans but it would be SkyClan where her bones would one day rest.

When she detects the odour of twolegs, Howlpaw does not think she is about to find Harpyfall. She doesn't know the cat too well admittedly, only knowing him in passing and from what others have said about him. He is a daylight warrior, a cat that much like Howlpaw once was, has paws in two worlds. That of his clan and that of the twolegs.

It has been so long since she has seen the daylight warrior around that he no longer smells of SkyClan. "A lot happened whilst you were away," Howlpaw mews, echoing Silversmoke's words. In time, no doubt Harpyfall would get to hear all about it. "I bet you were warm at least," She comments with a light-hearted chuckle. For a moment, her mind wanders to what it might be like living in a twoleg nest. Did Harpyfall have a nest within a nest? At least he would have had shelter from the elements and a supply of food to keep him going.​

 

[BLAZESTAR]

cw; nasty description of a previous death at the end of the first paragraph

Sometimes Blazestar does worry about the daylight warriors who are away for noticeable periods of time. There's always a fear that their housefolk had moved nests and taken the cats with them, or a fear they'd been injured by a dog or another Twoleg, or the horrible thought that they'd been slain by the massive paws of a monster. (Horrible physical sensations rip through him at that thought, the memories of his ribs cracking and splintering into his lungs vivid and fresh.)

He should know, though, that housefolk are somewhat unpredictable creatures. When Harpyfall strolls into camp with a finch dangling from his jaws, the Ragdoll can't help but feel a touch of relief. He dips his head to the warrior. "Nice catch. Welcome back."

His paws prickle as Slate lurks behind them both, a scowl on the warrior's features as he makes scornful comments about kittypet slop. Blazestar gives him a chastising glare. "Harpyfall is a loyal SkyClan warrior. This Clan was built on kittypets. There is no shame in having loyalty to your housefolk."

Loyalty. He'd loved his housefolk as his kin, but had he showed them loyalty when he'd left the comforts of their nest and blundered into the forest?

No, it had been to Little Wolf, the she-cat who still has his heart.

Or had it? Blazestar thinks about meeting her again on the border between his Clan and ThunderClan, about their rendezvous ignoring the borders between them. How he had returned home every evening to SkyClan, how had agreed to Emberstar's proposed warrior code to prevent other cats from suffering as his family has.

His loyalty hadn't been to Little Wolf or his housefolk, he realizes sadly. It had been to SkyClan all along. He'd been taken in by Rain, had ascended to leader after his death, had chosen his Clan over everything -- even the love of his life, even two of his kits.

Blazestar cannot fault anyone here for where their loyalties lie. It's a complicated thing. It's a thing that sometimes, in the dark of his den, brings him shame.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[Fireflyglow]

Loyalty was an.. Odd thing to Fireflypaw. Loyalty ran through his blood, always so faithful to his family- the dependable, responsible sibling who got everything done on time. Made sure his siblings stayed out of trouble, and that everyone was fed. One, two, three.. Four. His paw tapped along the ground as he prepared to walk, the sight of cats sitting around the fresh-kill pile making the seal point stare off into the distance numbly.

Howlpaw, Fireflypaw, Burnpaw, Moonpaw, Morningpaw. One, two, three, four- No.

His tail twitches behind him as he swallows the lump in his throat, taking a few contemplative steps as if he'd step onto lava. Grimacing at the sensation of slush against his paws. There is no shame in having loyalty to your housefolk. His father scolds the cats present; Slate, he'd assume. Always the one to despise Kittypets, though his Leader used to be one himself. Did Slate ever change his opinion, when around his father? Blurry vision is blinked once, then twice- eyelashes fluttering as he tries to get a better look at those in the short distance. Blobs of color, barely noticeable beneath the shadowy fading of his vision.

Charcoal-kissed muzzle twitches, practicing the bright smile he was known for- he'd take a second, though, beforehand. To breathe, to calm himself just a bit- enough to put on that charming grin. A step forward, before his nose touches his father's shoulder in greeting. His eyes shut, his head swivels to the returning Daylight Warrior. "Welcome back!~" Sings the hulking apprentice, tail tapping rapidly against the ground. "How are you feeling? I'm hoping you weren't too sick to come to camp."​

 

[sheepcurl]

Sheep remembers Harpy, back from when she was Churro. They hadn’t interacted much but Churro had considered him a good person, a good cat, so Sheep considers him one too. He swings by camp, a fresh finch held taught in his grip, drops it on his way in. “Amigo!” comes her exclaim as she hurries her own way over until she grits her teeth as Slate talks. Does this guy never have something nice to say? She has not forgotten the last time, and despite the guilt that begins to bubble up, anger quickly burns it and ignites in to a flame. Pretentious, she thinks, the clan is built upon these cats, but Blazestar comes in and she lets her hackles fall.

There was once a point in time where she would have done the same thing. When her twolegs had bad days, she’d sometimes skip out on going to camp to curl up in their laps and not leave until they were okay. And thats what she finds most admirable about the daylight warriors of their clan, that they had the capability to extend their love beyond their nest back at the twoleg place. If not for her duty to her clan, if not for the attack that had lead her to realize even her old home hadn’t been as safe as she thought, then perhaps she would still be one. Idly she thinks of Flan. He’s one, though she hasn’t seen him around lately… Perhaps she can slip away to check on her big brother.

All in all, Sheep knows her current loyalty lay with Blazestar, with Redstorm, with Skyclan. Her days with her twolegs are long gone. Thinking will never bring back the comfort, the naivety she once had.

“Thats a fantastic catch, we’re all so happy to see you back.” it echoes around from cats present, from Fireflypaw, from Blazestar, but Sheep wants to extend her own welcome as well. It’s nice to see old acquaintances.