heavy is the head | intro

[Lilacstem]

She returns with the hunting patrol, the only cat with prey larger than a small bird clasped between her jaws. The rabbit hangs limply, its head bent unnaturally to one side, and a burst of blood on its neck from where Lilacstem had delivered the blow. It's quite big for a rabbit and Lilacstem can just about carry it back into camp without it dragging on the floor. She sees a few envious eyes following her as she leaves it on the fresh-kill pile but she pays them no mind. Lilacstem is used to the looks she often gets from her clanmates.

She and her kin had lived on the moors long before WindClan but they had been treated as the outsiders from the get go. Sootstar had permitted them to join back then but Lilacstem got the impression she perhaps regretted that now. Two of her sisters had been exiled, her nephew had left for SkyClan, and poor Echolight had simply vanished. There were few of her family left on the moors but they stuck together as best they could. If they had each other they could weather out any storm. They could endure the looks and the bitter words whispered and the silent question of which one of them would turn next?

After depositing her prey, Lilacstem takes a seat on the ground, the sun warming her tortoiseshell pelt. She stretches out a little bit and lowers her head to lick one of her front paws, attempting to remove some of the dirt caught there from her hunt. She pauses only when a shadow passes over her face, and she looks up to see another stood in front of her. "Yes?" She asks softly, a quizzical expression set upon her features.​

 

[WOLFSONG]

── .∘°°∘. ── "Hm?" Wolfsong glances down, forced to turn his head for his remaining eye to face the origin of the voice. Ah. He has not spoken often with Lilacstem, though not as a result of distaste nor disapproval— Wolfsong does not share some of his clanmates' opinions regarding loners or those of kittypet blood. As a former rogue himself, it would be a spot of hypocrisy to begrudge anyone their origins or familial ties.

It is why he's often given to defending Azaleafrost and Sparkspirit from the likes of Snakepaw.

"I was lost in thought, forgive me. I don't make a habit of nearly stepping on clanmates." He smiles, friendly, and for all that the recent skirmish and his new appointment have wearied him, he is still brightened by taking Sunstride as his mate. "Did you return from a hunt recently?"​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN ROGUE TURNED LEAD WARRIOR (MEDICINE CAT IN TRAINING). 35 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC PARENTS. BIO, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge. — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know— he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel." — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you. — ☆☆☆☆☆ KITTING: He doesn't remember what it was like to be born. Coincidentally, that is the extent of his familiarity with kitting. At least he won't leave you without moral support.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you. — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

​

 

[heathermoon !!]

Heatherpaw had returned with jaws empty and a pelt riddled with hot embarrassment. His time below the ground and tucked into the tunnels had made him a stranger to hunting on the moors now, and he knew exactly what to expect when was expected to join his Clanmates to hunt.

"Why can't they hunt over the moors and we go through the tunnels?" He had asked in a small protest, but assignments were meant to be followed. Even if there was the chance of failure. Oh, and Heatherpaw had felt he did so miserably. His boastful tune had finally run silent for the day.

Paws made for a beeline to his mother, ducking behind Lilacstem. His ear twitched as he heard the words shared between the two, eavesdropping curiously. Then Wolfsong's inquiry made the frown on his maw return, reminded of his lacking.​

WINDCLAN APPRENTICE ✦ RED MACKEREL TABBY ✦ 9 MOONS ✦ TAGS

@Robinfang mentor tag​

 

[SUNNVAR]

Like Wolfsong, his head is among the clouds. Unlike him, at least, he does not nearly step across a clanmate in his joy. He does, however, miss most of his catches. Though others had begrudged Lilacstem her catch in the face of their own failures, the lead warrior was not among them. The crow he had caught would not make for the most delicious of prey, but it was a beautiful thing nonetheless. Its wings are broad and its feathers silky. It is not before plucking a few of its primaries that he drops it to the pile. His mouth is still full as he joins them, nudging into Wolfsong's throat. Never will he get used to that. When he leaves, the crow feathers are tucked into the thick fur at the crest of the healer's shoulder.

"We did," he confirms. "All of us." He nods to Heatherpaw where he treads, though there is the smallest twinge of pity in his gaze. It seemed to always be the case that Heatherpaw would take failure to heart. "She did better than any other. Bellies should be full tonight." He would not blame the others for their distaste over such things. As much as he may understand in the same way that Wolfsong does, Sootstar's trust had left its mark. It was not easy to look at her and see anything but a traitor in the making.

＞ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES REFERENCE 05.28.2023 〙ˊˎ＜

• ooc: —

• 

• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, he - him. approx. 40 moons old. lead warrior of windclan + former rogue.
  —— gay, but somewhat closeted. will not be open about his interests.  single, will be so.
  —— seems comparatively stranger than who he was some moons ago, serious and cool.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.

• "speech"

​

 

[Lilacstem]

Ah, it was Wolfsong. He apologises for his misstep and Lilacstem acknowledges it with a flick of her tail. "It's quite alright," She assured him with an easy smile. "You didn't actually step on me so there was no harm done." She is about to respond to his following question when Sunstride answers for her. He commends her catch, stating that she did better than any other and ducks her head a little in embarrassment. "I was lucky," Lilacstem adds in response. "The rabbit just so happened to run in my direction at the right time. It could easily have wound up the catch of any involved, including even Heatherpaw." She gives a subtle nod to the young apprentice hanging back.​

 

[RATTLEHEART]

Unlike many others within Windclan, Rattleheart didn't really see the point in judging someone based solely off the actions of their family. After all, different members of a family could end up so wildly varied, with clashing personalities and morals and their own divergent codes to live by. He even considered he, Scorchstreak and Lizardbounce to all be fairly different from one another, even if they all got along. In a way, he could understand where the skepticism surrounding Lilacstem came from. It wasn't every day a clan had to deal with a family that had seen two exiles and two - in the minds of Windclan, anyways - deserters. Yet, Lilac seemed like a loyal enough warrior, kind to those around her and always working to ensure that Windclan was thriving alongside the rest of them.

She deserved to be judged on her own actions, not by the behavior of her kin.

It was because of this that Rattleheart wore a warm smile as he approached, bumping his shoulder lightly against Lilacstem's own as a greeting. "No need to be so humble, Lilacstem. It's a good catch, and I say good luck is just Starclan's way of celebrating Windclan." A Windclan that Lilacstem was undeniably a part of, no matter the sharp and envious looks that had been leveled in her direction. He settled into a seated position nearby, long tail flicking towards the nearest tunnel entrance. "Besides, some of my best catches have been because of luck. Like when that huge hare just came running down into the tunnels while I was down there. Think maybe it got scared by another patrol or something." That had been a good catch, enough to feed himself and a couple of apprentices as well. All because he had been in the right place at the right time, much like Lilacstem.
​

[ PENNED BY EO ]​

 

[Robinfang]

The chocolate tom's white paws carried him past the fresh-kill pile. There was a smile ripe on his maw as he approached the small gathering of chit-chatting warriors. He dropped himself onto the ground, a weary old sigh leaving his throat when he did so. The chatter didn't interest him much until Lilacstem and Rattleheart made mouse-brained excuses as to how and why Lilacstem had managed to catch the largest piece of prey on the patrol. The tom himself was anything but bitter, happy for the molly and her success; and frankly he didn't care what powers might've been in play for her to catch that big rabbit but there's no way in the gods' word any Starclan was involved.

He turned his white and chocolate muzzle away from Rattleheart, a scowl becoming ever present on his maw. He might be living with these cats, having to hide his beliefs, but he would be damned if he let any one individual that their success was because of some higher power. "Starclan had nothing to do with it, Lilacstem. You did a perfect, clean kill, and there's not much else to it." His words held very littl edge to them, thanks to his best efforts to keep it from his voice.
​

walk "talk." thought​

penned by helly​

 

[heathermoon !!]

The looks from both the other warriors sent a spindling trail of agitation down his spine. A sharp turn of his head answered their pity- he didn't need it and he far from wanted it either. A few minutes of sulking and kicking a stone around would do just the trick to get him back to his regular self. He only needed the moment to actually dip away from the adults talking to do so.

It didn't appear he would be getting any moment now, with Robinfang's interjecting. Heatherpaw's ears went flat in a mix of embarrassment and hostility. Mismatched eyes narrowed as he looked at his mentor, lashing his tail. Still, Heatherpaw's jaws were like a wire strap. Refused to come undone to let a single sound slip from his maw.​

WINDCLAN APPRENTICE ✦ RED MACKEREL TABBY ✦ 9 MOONS ✦ TAGS​